Blue Moon
by dearsora
Summary: One night can change everything, and for Ally Dawson and Austin Moon, that single moment ruined a connection that was thought to be unbreakable. Now, they are both given the opportunity to co-star on a world tour. They say the truest, most passionate kinds of love only happen once in a blue moon... Will they find their new night?
1. Choices

**Hi everyone! This is my first fanfic EVER, so if I receive any notice from this I may cry haha. Anyways, I would love any and all feedback; I have never "published" a story before, so if my approach to this is quite terrible, or decent, I would love to know. My thanks in advance for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing about Austin and Ally, except the CD I bought the other day.**

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><p>"Please don't touch that!" Ally Dawson screeched nervously at two adolescent boys who were messing around near the Zildjian cymbals at the front of the store. She strongly disliked the sound of ten crashing cymbals, and of course, the mess that would come along with that collision. The boys gave her that "look", the look of dissatisfaction that all the young customers gave when they got caught.<p>

She sighed and glanced at her watch. 'Just one more hour…' She adored working at Sonic Boom, she really did; but tonight, for the first time in what seemed to be ages, she actually had a date. It's honestly been so long, which gave the flutter of anticipation the extra amp to distract her from almost everything around her…except ten crashing cymbals.

*CRASH*

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><p>"Alllllllly!" The familiar accent rung through the room with such intensity, almost every customer turned to see what the commotion was, but of course, Trish de la Rosa was never affected by the judgment of others. She smiled brightly and posed in a "ta-da" stance, her right hand waving around gracefully in the air as if she were a model showing off a toaster for someone to win. "Guess who got a job at Mini's?"<p>

Ally rounded the corner of the check-out counter, giving her best friend a genuine smile. "Some things never change," she mused to herself. Trish cocked her head in confusion. "I mean, wow Trish, that's great!"

Trish rolled her eyes. "Ally, I know what your mind is on—"

"The fact that my eardrums busted about 45 minutes ago because of these two inconsiderate, blonde-haired boys—"

"Not important," Trish happily interrupted. "You have a date tonight!" She almost squealed at the idea of it. It was almost as if she were going on the date herself.

"Trish, it really isn't a big deal…"

"Yes it is! I mean it's been forever sin—"

"I don't want to discuss it," Ally walked speedily back behind the counter. Today was not the day to bring that up. She was over it, of course…but it still was a bad memory; a wound that had healed, but the scar was still there, and those had no room to be talked about on a day of "new beginnings".

"I'm sorry Ally," Trish followed her and leaned forwards beside the cash register. "I know it's been rou—"

"Accccck!" Ally was on her way to covering her ears when Trish grabbed her left arm.

"I'm sorry, I'll stop," Ally sighed as she caught sight of a familiar figure standing outside the Sonic Boom doors. Her eyes suddenly went into deer-in-the-headlights mode as all the things she'd tried to suppress inside of her wanted to be released. The golden hair, the hazel eyes that reminded her of maple, the tanned arms she had learned to memorize, and the shoes that she always thought were too tacky to fit his persona….

Austin Moon.

"Ally…?" Trish waved her hand in front of Ally's face, attempting to figure out what was going on. She's only seen that look a few times in the course of their friendship, so it must mean…

"Oh God, Ally, I'll run him off—"

"NO, no," Ally instinctively pulled her friend back to the counter. Trish seemed overly offended.

"Why do you keep interrupting me? I just want to hel—"

"I'm curious," was all Ally could say. Trish raised her hands in surrender, deciding not to mess with what Ally called "Fate". Surely this was the rationale behind her openly allowing the one person she should never want to see again into the store. Otherwise, Ally was crazy. "Plus, I can't run him off when he hasn't broken store policy," it was almost as if she could read Trish's mind.

"Well we could always break a guitar and blame it on him…"

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><p>"Austin, I'm suuuuure there is another store you can buy a guitar from," A ginger spoke as he followed a blonde-haired boy down the mall parking lot. "I mean, why here?"<p>

"Dez," the blonde stopped in his tracks, turning to face his follower. "It will be okay. The sky isn't going to fall; the world will not end if I step into Sonic Boom," he smirked and rolled his eyes. Dez held a hand up to physically show he had a point, but his mind drew a blank.

"I'm telling you, man, I really think this is a bad idea. You guys have yet to speak since that nigh—"

Austin abruptly stopped, forcing his friend to stop right in front of his face, "Dez, Dez…" Austin placed an index finger to his lips and mouthed a lingering 'Shhhhhh'. "The past is the past. Focusing on it won't change anything."

"But trying to fix things with Ally like this isn't the way either!"

"Who said I was?" Austin smirked and started back on his task. Dez, speechless, let his mind go on auto-pilot as he followed his friend into the mall center.

They rounded the front of the store when Dez grabbed Austin by the shoulder. "Austin..." Dez's tone was something it never was: serious. His eyes had a glint in them that even made Austin's eyes widen. It was the most intensity he had ever felt in a conversation with him. "I'm telling you, if you walk into that store, things will change, and, while I know you are trying to play it cool, you may not like the result…or what you face in there," Dez gave a pat and was quickly distracted by a lingering smell of pork, "ooooo, hot dogs!" He skirted off without a second glance.

That uneasy feeling returned to the pit of Austin's stomach. That feeling had loitered there for months. It was an intangible feeling that his head could never quite rationalize. No explanation would describe, nor validate its existence; he wondered why it wouldn't just go away. Once he woke up today and decided it was time to "make a move", it was almost as if the feeling chose the same exact day to take absence from him. Were they correlated? As the thought of him giving up on his intention rose, the feeling seemed to creep back into his abdomen. The harsh reality surfaced, and he knew that they were related.

Austin wanted nothing more than for it to go away: the feeling, the dreams; everything about the one person who has had the largest impact on his life. So many nights he spent brainstorming ways to fix this. It was almost desperation, as he noted that no efforts were ever made in his opposition.

Since that night, he has yet to hear from her. No calls. No songs in rebuttal. No awkward run-ins at school. The connection he felt almost seemed unreal to him, as if it never happened, and it was so hard to discredit that when Fate just kept him and Ally apart. Now, he wanted to take things into his own hands, but if she was making it just fine…why should he even take a double-take?

And as the anger from that thought rose to the fore-front of his mind, he walked off towards the hot dog cart.

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><p>Trish smiled as the menace walked away from his momentary stop near the front of the store. "Oh thank Jesus," she sighed and turned to find a surprising sight.<p>

Ally twiddled her fingers, looking down at the counter. It was obvious she was finding a way to distract herself. "Ally…are you okay?" The brunette lifted her head slightly, biting her lip. Her eyes had a slight glaze to them, which Trish immediately noticed. "Oh…"

Ally placed a hand to her piano necklace and fiddled around with the charm, unable to look her best friend in the eyes. "Trish, I don't know what's wrong with me. Why…why is everything the way it is. I don't understand, I don—"

Trish made a move for Ally's wrists, lowering them to the counter as an attempt to signal importance for what she was about to say. "You know, everything up until now has been messy. It has been terrible, unexplainable, heck, even unfair. I know it's been hard, and it seems like it will never have closure. You deserve so much better than this, but you can't have that better until you let go of the past. Hell, you saw him stand there. He chose to not see you. Now it's your turn. What do you choose?"

Even though tears were already streaming down Ally's face, her eyes almost seemed to soften at Trish's words. Ally cracked a smile...a genuine smile. "I choose tonight."


	2. Safety Net

**Hi! I'm so, so happy that people have left reviews on the first chapter! I honestly wasn't expecting any response, so when I got the alerts in my email...oh goodness, I freaked out. Anyways, I know the first chapter was a little short, but I tried to make up for it in the second chapter. Hope you like it! :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Austin and Ally.**

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><p>The walls of this room seemed so familiar to her; like clockwork, she could re-imagine the image perfectly onto a piece of paper: the pastel yellow, the hanging Christmas lights, the desk where all of her biggest homework obstacles had been faced. Just sitting in the company of these things gave her such security, and within that, a safety net for any tough time she had been through. After that disastrous night with Austin, it seemed that all she did was stare at those walls and memorize the patterns. When everything else seemed to fall apart, those patterns and her song book were all she had. That and Trish. She always had Trish.<p>

The thought of refuge, for some reason, reminded Ally of the night her stage fright ended…the night she kissed Austin. While another girl did come and sort of ruin the whole "bask in the afterglow of what just happened", Ally couldn't help but blush every time she remembered the glint in his eyes, the shine of his hair, the smile that glowed upon his face as he leaned closer to hers…

Ally tried to ignore the shivers she felt.

Yet, what disappointed her most about the whole situation was the loss of the safety net she thought she had with him. Out of everything, the last possible outcome would have been to lose Austin all together. Sure, she expected fights with him; they were pretty much complete opposites, but she never imagined _losing_ him. That broke her heart the most, knowing that instead of sitting in the upstairs practice room at Sonic Boom, writing new lyrics to a cool guitar rift Austin made up, she was preparing to go on a date with the guy who worked at the cellphone stand. This date signaled the new chapter in her life, a new approach to the security she thought she had at one point with the guy of her dreams…

A tear slid down her cheek as she looked in the mirror and saw the casual red dress that Trish picked out for her. It gave the impression, as she had said, "flirtatious, but not too gun-ho about it". Austin would have loved this dress; red was his favorite color.

Another tear found its way down her face as she picked up her phone and quickly dialed a number.

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><p>Austin strummed a G major chord, examining the floor as if it had the answer he was looking for. Every time he thought about Ally, he felt the resentment within himself grow ever so slightly more. He still suffered from the guilt of it, even after the months that have gone by. He masked it incredibly well; only Dez knew of the lingering feelings that were brought up frequently in their most reticent conversations. Still, he owed it to everyone involved to let it be. Let things go as they may.<p>

He finally realized why he was never able to write songs until he met Ally, though. When she came into his life, he never really had any _deep_ things to think about, much less to write about. Most of his time would be spent on a ballad towards his love for pancakes, but who would relate to that? It was a very special feeling. Nevertheless, Ally opened his heart up to the things truly worth writing about: the smile of a stranger, self-revelation, the heart that is worth driving ten million miles for, and a second half that life would be empty without. Those are the things that people relate to; the things not so easily spoken, but that could be effortlessly sung. Songs were meant to empower people, to give them a sort of courage that plain-old words couldn't. Whenever he was on that stage, he felt empowered. When he strummed chords to an acoustic melody, he felt empowered.

When he was with Ally, he felt empowered.

Austin sighed and lowered his face into his hands, forcing the darkness into his mind to alleviate the thoughts of her and anything having to do with that night. He felt powerless, because he knew from the bottom of his heart that she deserved him standing outside her window, crooning tunes of apologies and begging her for forgiveness. Why wasn't he there then?

With the close of that thought, his phone began to vibrate continuously. Someone was calling him.

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><p>Ally nervously tapped her fingers against her knee, impatient and, quite frankly, the most nervous she had been in ages.<p>

"…Ally?" a voice timidly answered.

"Oh thank God you answered Trish," Ally sighed and smiled at the relief she felt. That did not last long. "Trish, I don't think I can go through with this."

"Ally, I literally just left your house," annoyance snuck into her tone and she breathed an exasperated sigh. "Do I need to turn around and come back?"

"No, no," Ally didn't need the onus of Trish's lost time on her conscience tonight. "I just need one of your famous pep talks!"

"Oh, well, if you insist…"

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><p>Austin nervously reached towards the flashing screen. After seeing the I.D. of the caller, a sensation of disappointment shot through his body, but like the flash of a comet, it raced away. "Hello?" His hazel orbs looked at the wall in slight nonchalance.<p>

"AUSTIN? I've texted you, like, seven times! What's going on?" a high-pitched feminine voice almost screeched through the phone's speakers.

"Sorry," he sighed, "I was writing a song and kind of got lost in it. That's why I didn't check my phone."

"Hmph, okay…" her voice trailed off. "Anything you want to talk about?"

"Actually, yes," Austin sat his cobalt-colored guitar on the sheets of his bed. "There are some things we should talk about."

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><p><em>"Be yourself. Your personality is contagious. Promise, Ally, it will go better than how you think it will." <em>Trish's words of encouragement echoed in her head as she sat in her living room, nibbling a few strands of hair. It was a nervous habit she wished she could break. She felt like she had so much to stress over, but at least her date wouldn't have to meet her father, since he was off on a business trip. That saved her some anxiety.

She got up and walked to the bathroom, viewing herself one last time before he arrived. She usually didn't wear a bunch of make-up, but Trish insisted on a little eyeliner and red lipstick. How could her night be anything but good? She had on her red dress, her red lipstick, had her pep talk from Trish; what could prepare her any better? Maybe a jar of pickles could, but Trish took that with her before she left. _"Can't be messing up your pretty lipstick!" _Ally could just hear the judgment from Trish's voice at the thought of her even wanting to eat a pickle or two before the date.

The doorbell rang and Ally was instantly struck with fear. '_It's really happening now. Woah, okay, be myself, no pickles, la la la umm, I'm contagious'_ She took a deep breath in as she opened the front door.

The sight before her almost took her breath away. There stood Dallas in a deep blue button-up, khaki pants, and Sperry Top-Siders. His dark chestnut hair seemed mangled, but tamed at the same time. Eyes of chocolate, Ally noticed, and skin a shade that hers could never be no matter how long she stood out in the sun. It was all nice to soak in, and she smiled. "Hey Dallas!"

"Hey Ally," he returned the smile. "Gosh, you look great!"

She couldn't help but blush at his compliment. "Not so bad yourself," she gave him a small punch in the arm. '_Why did I do that?_' She freaked out on the inside, but thankfully, he chuckled and offered an arm for her to take.

"M'lady?" Gosh, those eyes could melt chocolate instead of be it.

"Of course," she snapped out of her reverie and interlocked her arm with his. She looked up, seeing millions of stars shining down on her. The spring air was crisp; perfect weather for a walk on the beach. The whole night was starting out so perfectly, and it felt perfect too.

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><p>Laughter echoed off the walls of Austin's room. "Yea….yea I can't forget that day either. That pancake was just too delicious," he smiled. "You can really cook those, you know?"<p>

"Yea, I know," a female's voice giggled in response. A beep interrupted a few of those and Austin looked to see who could be calling him at this hour.

"Hey, Dez is calling me. I'll call you right back, okay?" Before he could hear a response, he clicked over to the other line. "Dez, what's up?"

"You will probably be mad at me for telling you this," Dez took no hesitation in failing to give Austin a chance to object. "Ally's going on a date tonight…with Dallas."

"DALLAS?" Austin shot skyward and was sitting straight up on his bed. "I mean…oh, good for Ally! I'm glad she's found someone."

"…You're joking, right?" His best friend sighed over the phone. "Earlier today, you were finding any excuse to go into Sonic Boom, and you still didn't. You told me to tell you anything that I found out or overheard about Ally. Now, you don't care?" Austin could imagine Dez shaking his head on the other end of the conversation. "Come on, dude."

"I don't know. Elizabeth and I talked and—"

"Oh…" he voiced trailed off. "I see."

"Dez, it isn't like tha—"

"I gotta go. Family stuff in the morning," there was a moment of silence.

"Alright, man," Austin clicked back to the other line, the feeling in his stomach radiating more than it usually did. "Hey. Something came up. I got to go," was all Austin could say.

"Okay, baby. Talk to you tomorrow?" Elizabeth cooed in response.

"Yep," Austin clicked the "end" button and chucked his phone across the room.

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><p>"Do you remember the day Trish accidentally put you on the jumbo-tron in the mall plaza?" Dallas was laughing as if someone had punched in the gut, and instead of cries of agony, he chose to laugh instead. Ally didn't mind though; she loved the sound of laughter.<p>

"Oh, don't remind me. That was so embarrassing…" she covered her face with her hands, attempting to mask the shade of red her cheeks were surely showing right now.

"But it was so adorable," the laughs slowed down as his face softened. "You are adorable."

Ally parted her fingers so she could see his face. She could definitely feel the rush of blood part into her cheeks. He surely noticed, because he smiled and took her hands and cuffed them into his own. "Ally, I really did have a nice time tonight," his eyes emitted a force close to what she had seen only twice before. "Thank you for allowing me spend the evening with you."

Her nervous energy seemed to take over as the hold over her composure was beginning to falter. "Oh shucks," she giggled before she realized how lame she had sounded. "I mean, of course, any time!"

"Any time?" A playful glow filled his stare. "So that means I can see you again tomorrow night?"

Oh, he was a smart one. "I guess it does," Ally bashfully responded, splitting her gaze between him and the floor of her porch. They had already walked from his car to her house, and the perfect night was about to come to an end, a somewhat perfect end, Ally observed.

"I'll call you then," he suddenly released her hand and brought her into a tight hug, his cologne hypnotizing Ally as she really couldn't focus on anything but the warmth she felt and the nerves sprinting through her body. Once he let go, he gave her one last grin and started on the way to his car. Ally took a moment to "beam in the afterglow of what just happened", as she never really got to do before. After a moment of composure, she unlocked the door to the house and entered.

Once she recognized the familiarity of the living room, she closed the door with her back and slid to the floor, a sigh of…contentment escaped her lips. It was then she felt a vibration from her black clutch she was carrying. Curiosity took a moment's lead as she reached for her phone.

9 missed text messages, all from Trish:

_"Hey girl! Let me know how the date goes! You looked so pretty, oooooo, he is going to be so impressed! :))"_

_"Okay, the suspense is killing me. Can you tell me what he said when he saw you?"_

_"You're probably really busy though, so just text me when you are home from your date!"_

_"Ally it's been two hours are you home yet?"_

_"I don't think I can take it I need to know"_

_"This better be a good story or I swear"_

_"Alllllllly"_

_"You have got to be home now. I need to know the deets!"_

_"ALLY ! ! !"_

Ally tried to quell a giggle as the appreciation she felt for having such a clingy friend warmed her soul. While that sounds sarcastic, Ally didn't mind having someone there who had to know what was going on at all times. It was nice having someone around who willingly listened to everything she had to say, good or bad.

Ally dialed in the number she had memorized so easily and wasn't surprised when the phone clicked after the very first ring. "Ally, you best start explaining!"

"Okay, okay," the radiance she could feel just from those thoughts made her want to go drive really fast or go para-sailing. She felt like she could do anything. "Well, he picked me up from my house and took me over to Ruth's downtown-"

"Oh, fancy, fancy!" Ally recoiled from the excitement she could hear. It was almost too much for her eardrums to handle.

"Yea…it was really nice. After dinner, he took me to the beach and we just walked and talked for a while. Then he took me home."

"Eeeeee! Did he kiss you?" She went straight for the juicy stuff.

"Nooooo. It was only our first date!" Still, Ally was flustered by the thought.

"Okay, that's understandable. Still, I'm glad you had fun! See? You don't need Austin," victory rang through Trish's voice.

Austin…Ally caught her breath. He really didn't cross her mind any throughout the night…except for once. She had to get her best friend's advice about it. "Trish, there's something I need to ask you about that deals with Austin."

"Okay…" the victorious ring that flowed through her words just seconds before seemed to just dissipate as quickly as it came.

"I had so much fun with Dallas, I really did…but when we were at Ruth's, all I could think about...well, hope for, was Austin barging in and ruining the whole date to tell me…you know…"

"I was afraid this was going to happen," Trish sighed. "Look, we both know that Austin is over this. He never had the decently to talk to you about anything that happened. He has a girlfriend now, and you're alone. He's probably hanging out with her tonight while you are sitting here questioning this new opportunity you have with someone else. That thought you had...only happens in movies, and I'm sure the guys that do it have more of a heart than Austin Moon does."

"You're right…" she didn't want to admit that; that's the last thing she wanted to realize. Maybe that safety net had no way of returning.

"I know, and I'm so sorry about it, Ally…" her apology was so sincere, it brought tears to Ally's eyes. "Now, enough about this, when will you see Dallas again?"

Ally wiped away a tear that was peeking over the edge of her bottom eyelid. "Umm, probably tomorrow night, actually. I just remembered, I have a meeting at the studio tomorrow. I just need one more track before the record's done!"

"Yea, I know! See? Why even think about Austin when you have this cute guy just drooling over you, and a record that's about to be released. Your life is about to change so much," she was relieved to hear the Latina's pep back in her voice.

"I'll realize it soon enough," Ally smiled. "Speaking of the record, though, I need to go finish the song for the meeting tomorrow. See you then?"

"You got it, girl!" The phone clicked off and she slowly placed it back in her clutch.

Now the room was back to silence. When she first walked in, it was filled with this serenity, warmth that reflected the amazing time she had with Dallas. After that talk with Trish, it was as if she realized she was lying to herself the whole time. In the back of her mind, her deepest desire was for her perfect night to be _ruined_. Ruined by an obnoxious boy who was probably still doing all the things he did that had hurt her…

Before she let any more tears fall, she ran up the stairs to her room. In the drawer beside her bed sat the one thing she knew would help her process all these unfair and irrational thoughts. She grabbed it, and without a second thought, she ran downstairs and through the front door to her car.

As she buckled her seat belt, she thought of all the reasons why she shouldn't do this. She has never done anything so reckless before, but her dad wasn't home to fuss at her and she felt this would be the perfect occasion to experiment.

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><p>Once she arrived to the mall parking lot, she made her way to the plaza. It wasn't an indoor mall, so no doors stopped her. No guards were in sight, so they didn't stop her either. She fiddled around her clutch for the keys to Sonic Boom, and once she found them, she had made it, by memory, to her dad's store.<p>

The store was so peaceful at night, and so dark too. She had only been here once this late…

Maybe coming here wasn't the greatest idea.

Regardless, she soaked in the feeling of rebellion, despite the fact that she really wasn't doing anything wrong. She turned on the switch for a few lights in the back of the store, enough for her to make it up the stairs to the practice room. She twisted the knob and turned on the lights, seeing a sight she hadn't seen in months. Ever since that night, she decided to never step foot into this room again. Drastic, yes, but she wanted to prove to herself that she wouldn't fold. She wanted to forget every aspect of the boy she had spent so many days with in this room, at that piano in the corner. As she was hit with all the memories at once, she felt her knees weaken beneath her. Before she fell to them, she made it to the piano and took a seat at the bench.

Being here tonight wasn't a sign of surrender. No, she had every right to be in this room. This was never Austin's room, this was hers. This was originally her sanctuary. To think that he could take away from her that too…no, she wouldn't allow that anymore. Tonight was a night of "new beginnings"; she already made that clear to herself today in the store. It was time to break free of the shackles Austin had unknowingly put on her heart, on her thoughts and actions. She looked at the item she had grabbed from her nightstand and smiled.

She opened her song book to a blank page, sat it on the stand above the piano keys, and began playing a melody that came to her mind.

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><p><strong>What did you think? I know it sort of seems "stagnant", but what I have planned for the next chapter is where the wheels will really begin to turn. I just have to build up to it. Please review if you have anything you'd like to share with me about this! I really enjoy feedback, and follows. Those too :)<strong>

**Thanks again!**


	3. Fate's Design

**Hey guys! I'm so ecstatic that I actually have people following this story; it's incredibly flattering. Anyways, I had fun writing this chapter, and I'm excited about where this story will go on from here. Please read and review. I love getting emails from this site telling me of the alerts I'm getting from this story. They really make my day.**

**Enjoy :)**

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><p>Sunlight peaked between the ivory blinds of the window, sending streams of dancing light cascading all along the floor of the practice room. The atmosphere was bright: birds were chirping the songs of a morning's tale, water streamed from the fountain at the plaza, children were laughing at the shapes the clouds were forming in the sky; it was a beautiful day.<p>

The glare of the window finally made its way to the eyelids of the brunette fast asleep on the piano keyboard. As if it were too bright for her to handle, her eyes shot open, and in recoil, she sat straight up in a moment of illogical panic. Once she was aware of her surroundings, she breathed a sigh of respite and looked down at the sight before her. There was her songbook, two pages worth of lyrics ready to be sung with just a little bit of drool mixed in. She smiled as she allowed her hands to hover over the keys, positioned in the correct spots to play the melody she had created in her mind. Her musing didn't last long, for she just realized…who was running the store?

Ignoring the nest her hair was in, the fact she was still in that red dress, and how her makeup was smudged, she raced down the stairs to see her dad standing at the counter. "Okay, I see that dent…I can give you a ten percent discount, but that's as low as I can go," the sound of her dad's penny-pinching made her shine with relief. As the customer shook his head and walked away, her father shrugged and turned. "Oh goodness, you scared me," his hand went straight for his chest.

"Dad, I didn't know you were going to be back this early. I can expla—"

"No need to, honey," he walked out of the checkout box to face his daughter, placing a consoling hand on her shoulder. "I caught an earlier flight back home, but that's not important," he shook his head, "I was a little worried when I got home and you weren't there, but before I completely freaked out, I came to the store and found you asleep at the piano. Ally, it's been so long since I've seen you in that room, at that piano…it was just a nice sight. I didn't want to disturb you." He gave her shoulder a pat and a comforting smile before noticing the unsatisfied customer back at the checkout counter. "Duty calls."

Ally gave a nod of empathy and watched her father walk away. Spending the night in the store was probably one of the most irresponsible things she had ever done, but at least her dad didn't freak out. After that thought left her mind, she made her way back upstairs to grab her songbook and the clutch she left. She took a glance at her phone before sitting back down to practice, taking note of the current time. "Eleven o'clock?" she voiced to herself, nervous energy and stress starting to make its way throughout her body. Her meeting was at one and she was still at the store. Ally closed the covering for the piano keys and quickly grabbed all of her things. She had a meeting to go get ready for.

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><p>Drool continuously flowed from Austin's face, mouth open wide similar to when he would be ready to eat a stack full of pancakes. The sound of his own voice coming through the speakers of his phone was loud enough to send his eyes flying open. Startled, he rolled face first onto the wooden floor. "Ugh..." he grumbled, bringing himself to his feet so he could stop the obnoxious ringtone that was loudly playing. Austin was not a morning person.<p>

Too bad it was 11:30.

He answered the call, distaste already bittering the mindset he was entering the conversation with. "Hello?" He'd be happy if they didn't answer back.

"Austin? Hey, it's Jimmy Starr. I know we just spoke the other day, but I really need you to come in for a meeting today. It's really important," Austin's unpleasant demeanor suddenly changed into curiosity as he saw the whole conversation turn into a new light.

"Yea sure, I'll be there!" Excitement bubbled up inside of him. It had been a few months since his first tour ended, so things had been stagnant since they had returned to Miami. Of course, whenever he went out, he was recognized by at least six or seven adolescent girls, but back when his record was first released, it would be at least twenty-one girls. He didn't like that change.

"Great, man! Can you be here at 12:45?"

"You can count on me," a smile took over his face.

"See you then, Austin." The phone clicked off and he couldn't help but swell up with delight. Could they already be making plans for a second album? Will they offer him a chance to double his career into the acting industry? '_All the possibilities…'_ his thoughts gloated to him. He was starting to reap the true successes of the career he started. He had so many metaphoric doors sitting in front of him, waiting to be opened. He had amazing parents who have supported him all the way. His best friend was, ironically, his voice of reason, and always had his back. He had a beautiful girlfriend who was almost too clingy, but that meant she cared about him and he did like that.

Who needed Ally Dawson?

* * *

><p>Ally twirled around in her vintage-styled floral dress. She adored it because it was the perfect mix of casual and dressy. She never knew what her meetings would be like, so she tried to match her style to that same ambiguity. Classy, but still blithe enough to justify dancing in the rain and not have to worry about judgment, because who would purposely wear fancy things in a rainstorm?<p>

Who is kidding; she still would.

The mint-inspired colors reflected the season that surrounded her. Despite having spent the night in the practice room, she felt energized in some mystical manner that could drive her to do anything: climb buildings, go search for unicorns, learn how to knit. Anything was game to her.

This natural high made her want to drive back to the practice room and spend the day writing songs. After the tour ended with Austin a few months ago, she had such a difficult time finishing her record. Sure, she had so many emotions she could have played on…but those weren't what she wanted her first record to be about. Ally wanted something light-hearted; filled with the joys in life rather than the betrayals and obstacles. Still, life wasn't all about the rainbows and smiles. The song she wrote last night would acknowledge that.

Snapping her back to reality was the vibrational pattern of her phone, the device buzzing rapidly as she reached for it to see the reason behind it. Other than a few text messages from Trish reminding her to keep her in the loop, she had forgotten she had set a reminder for her appointment in her phone's calendar. It alerted her that she had thirty minutes until her meeting time.

With a deep breath, she grabbed her purse that was sitting beside her bed, her song book from the nightstand, and headed downstairs for the front door. Ally was as ready as she was ever going to be.

* * *

><p>Austin sat impatiently in the lobby of Starr Records, so much energy soaring through his veins. All that his mind could focus on was the multitude of ways the meeting could go. So many possibilities…it excited him to his bones.<p>

"Austin?" the receptionist looked up from the laptop she had been typing on. Immediately, Austin responded.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Mr. Starr is ready for you," she gently replied. He returned a smile, leaving his seat and opening the door that stood between him and his vivid future. As he entered, he took a second to soak in his surroundings. The sight of the room would be intimidating to anyone else, but not to him. The plethora of platinum records graced the walls of Jimmy Starr's office, creating an expectation that could coerce any new artist into backing out. Not Austin, though. He knew he had what it took to get his record onto that wall.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Moon," Mr. Starr smiled and motioned a hand towards the seats in front of his desk.

"Don't mind if I do," Austin spoke as he settled into one of the two leather-coated chairs. "How are you today, Mr. Starr?"

"Oh please, call me Jimmy." The man laughed at the formality Austin was attempting. "Today is a great day for you, young man!"

"Oh, this is exciting!" Austin rubbed his hands together and sat forwards. "What do you got for me, Jimmy?"

"Okay, now I know you haven't been off tour but for a few months," Jimmy began as he flipped through the calendar on his desk. "So many cities and arenas…it's a life changing experience."

"Oh, yes it is, sir," Austin was so happy, he was being the most polite he had ever been to anyone. Jimmy shot him a look, "I mean…yes it is, Jimmy," Austin started feeling a little perturbed by how formal he was being. Jimmy didn't seem too bothered by it, for he smiled at Austin's correction and continued glancing at his calendar.

"Now your record has done well, but it is a little too soon to be working on the next one," Jimmy began as he found the month he was looking for. "But we don't want this 'dead' time to be…'dead'. Are you catching my drift, Austin?"

Austin, slightly lost on where this meeting was going, nodded in response. "Oh, yes, I am."

"Good," Jimmy took a quick glance at his watch before continuing. "Well, what the label is deciding is…a world tour; more specifically, out of the United States."

Austin's jaw dropped, and he had no discretion for it, either. '_A world tour? Holy shit!'_ As his mind finally registered the state his face was in, he took a hand and covered his mouth, taking a moment to look out the office window. Palm trees, sunshine, sand, girls…a world tour. This was not what we expected.

"It's okay to take a minute, Austin. It's a bunch to soak in, I know," Starr squinted at his watch once more. "Let me elaborate a little more because you're probably confused. This tour will be exclusively in other countries; since we already toured here, it wouldn't be logistically smart to tour again without you having a new record, set-list, dances…etcetera. We will change things a little bit, though. We are going to have you come in and record one or two more songs; "bonus" songs, if you will, for the extended version of your album coming out next month," Starr took a sip from the cup beside his calendar. "That release will kick-off the start of your world tour. Along with those new songs, we will be adding an opening act that will also go on tour with you and perform at all of the same performances. Their record will be releasing next month and they need some attention for their music. Call it a 'kill two birds with one stone' sort of thing," Starr beamed at the boy sitting across from him. "So…what do you think?"

Austin didn't know what to think. Never did he imagine in his scenarios of "wonderful things that could occur from this meeting", that he would be going on a world tour…as the main act. Plus, he would have the chance to perform new songs in totally new arenas, and he was actually touring with another band! Austin was so giddy; he had no shame in showing it. "I think it's so awesome!"

"I'm glad you think that. I bet you have a ton of questions."

Austin did. _'What countries are we going to? What arenas? What's the name of the tour? How many chances will he have to eat pancakes?'_ Oh, but one was at the forefront of all the latter. "Umm…what is the name of the band that opens for me?" Maybe they were cool like him. Did they sing rock? Pop, possibly? No way that they were country musicians; that was just not the vibe he got from the record label…

"Great question, because she should be here any minute to join us…" Jimmy typed a few words on his keyboard. '_Oh, a girl? This may be better than a band'_ Austin distended with even more anticipation. Just moments later, the door knob twisted and slowly opened.

That moment would be the single moment to change the course of everything thus far. That moment would send Austin's jaw the lowest it had been during the course of that meeting, more so the lowest of his life. Out of all the possibilities, the rationale behind this moment never made sense. Science went off of logic, of proof that supported a stated hypothesis. Well, from that perspective: how could the evidence support this conclusion when it always pointed to the complete opposite? The day that he had perfected in his head had suddenly turned into everything but that. Confusion, anger, guilt, sadness; all sat there in the corners of his mind and overflowed it with emotion. No one could have noticed that, though, for the only visible sign of any disturbance was the wideness of his mouth and the shock it represented.

The door opened to show Ally Dawson.

* * *

><p>The vibe in the room instantly changed. When Ally opened the door to Mr. Starr's office, she never expected to see Austin Moon, let alone anyone else other than the man himself. She was led to believe that the meeting would revolve around the final ties with her record. If that were the case, then why was Austin here? Austin Moon…she hadn't really seen him since her last day traveling on tour with him. She hadn't had a chance to really see the hazel of his eyes, or the arms that almost appeared like they had been sculpted by an artist, or the brilliance of his teeth when he smiled…<p>

The tension between the two of them must have been extremely noticeable, for Jimmy's elated mien appeared to dissipate with each passing moment. "Why don't you take a seat, Ally?" She must have been standing there for longer than she thought. Immediately, she gathered up all the courage inside of her and sat in the leather chair…beside Austin.

As if they were magnets of the same pole, the moment she sat down was the moment Austin looked straight ahead at Jimmy, ignoring the fact that a person was just inches away from him. "Is she my opening act?" Austin was almost speechless, so it surprised him that he was even able to speak that.

Ally felt slightly offended by the distance in his voice. Was she just a "she" to him? He couldn't even say her name? '_Two can play at this game._' "I'm sorry, Mr. Starr—"

"Please, call me Jimmy," he offered a kind smile in his subtle correction.

"Umm, Jimmy," Ally continued, "I wasn't aware that he would be in this meeting with us. I thought we were going to talk about tying up the loose ends of my record?" She tried her hardest to keep her composure when all she wanted to do was punch Austin and run out of the room to go cry somewhere.

"We are, Ally, but I have an amazing opportunity for you. I already told Austin about it…now, it's your turn." Jimmy took another sip of his drink before laying out the information Ally subconsciously knew she didn't want to hear. "Austin will be going on a world tour…and the label wants you to be his opening act."

"Woah, woah…wait, world tour…opening act?" Ally momentarily forgot about Austin's presence and began working on wrapping her head around this almost impossible scenario. "I haven't even released my record yet, and I'll already be going on tour?"

"Well…" Jimmy began, "your record will be released before the first show of the tour. We all know it is a little soon, but this is the best opportunity to push both of your careers forward. With that being said, you both wrote a majority of these songs together, right? This should be perfect! Two song writers who have created amazing things together…able to perform together and show the world not only the work they have done, but the connection behind it too." Jimmy rubbed the back of his bald head with both of his hands. "This is just great!"

Both Austin and Ally looked at the opposing walls, unable to look at anything remotely close to one another. That connection Jimmy spoke of…wasn't there anymore. How could they tell him that, when that was fueling the one opportunity that they may never come across again? So early in their careers, and they already have a world tour lined up for them. Still, Ally couldn't bear the thought of having to spend _every day_ near the person she strongly disliked the most on this planet. She had been so fortunate to not have to face him during all these months, but who was she kidding; she knew this was bound to happen eventually.

On the other hand, Austin had felt so much joy throughout this day. Daydreaming about all the things this could have been kept his mind busy from that dark feeling he had known for so many months now. Now, it was searing throughout his being. He was aware that it just wasn't one emotion; it was a concoction of feelings and insights that he just couldn't face yet. Seeing her there, right beside him…knowing there was so much he should've done and should be doing right now…it was just so hard to swallow.

Looking at these two from another's perspective, one would see two people: a boy and a girl. They would see the numerous glances exchanged, so they would be able to see a connection and familiarity between the two. They would see the space between them, so either they were acquaintances or products of an issue that causes them to gravitate away from each other. They would see the hurt in their eyes, the nervous energy that was evident in the habits of the two: Ally's hair chewing and Austin's leg bobbing. They would see those, but not the evidence behind it. They would never see the days they spent writing songs together, or the spontaneous hugs they shared after happy occasions. They would never be able to see the moments they kissed, or the instances where their hands would touch on the piano keyboard. They would never see the night that twisted everything apart…

They would just see two people, sitting there ignoring each other. It was a little obvious, for Jimmy sent an inquiring eye to both of the teenagers. "Now, Ally…" he focused on her. "Do you have the last song written for your record?"

"Yes, but…" '_Oh God, this is so rude…'_ "Is there any way we could discuss that later on…in private?" Austin's eyebrows rose, but no one saw because he was looking away.

Ally noticed a slight objection in Jimmy's movements, but she was relieved with his answer. "Yes…we can. We can focus on the logistics of the tour for now…that is, if you both are up on going through with this?"

Of course they weren't. Neither Austin nor Ally was immediate with their responses, but they weren't stupid; this was an once-in-a-lifetime ordeal. Passing that up over petty emotions…Ally was smart enough to know better than that. Austin knew this was his tour, so of course he couldn't back out.

They both nodded in agreement, which sent the largest smile creeping across Starr's face. "Okay, so do you guys have any questions you are just dying to ask?"

"Yes actually," Austin surprisingly broke the silence. "What's the name of the tour? '_Full Moon: All-Access'?_" As long as it had "Moon" in it, he would still feel pretty confident about his decision.

"…Wow that would've been good, but no it's not that," Jimmy now focused his attention back to his computer, typing a few things on his keyboard.

"What is it then?"

"Oh, you'll love it," after a few clicks of his mouse, Jimmy turned his computer screen to show them what would be an endorsement poster showing the dates and locations of the shows. "It's called the '_Blue Moon_' tour."


	4. Maple and Gold

**Hey everyone! I was hoping to update this sooner, but I needed some time to plan how I want these specific moments I see within my mind to play out. One of them is soon to occur, and I wanted to make sure it was right in every way possible. Anyways, please read and tell me what you think about this chapter! :)**

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><p>"'<em>Blue Moon?'" <em>Austin perked up in his seat. "So it's going to be like, 'Things this awesome only come once in a Blue Moon'?" Oh, was he excited. Ally just rolled her eyes, but a smile could be seen peeking through the corners of her mouth.

"Something along those lines," Jimmy grinned. "Now, I want to ask you two before I forget…would you guys be willing to sing a duet?" Ally's jaw dropped. First, a requirement to go on a world tour with someone she strongly disliked…now she had to sing a duet with him? No way.

"Umm…" Austin started to answer when Ally seemed too mortified to speak. "I mean, we—"

"Why would you want that, Jimmy?" She interrupted once a plan worked its way into her mind. "There will be so many girls there to see Austin, you know. Wouldn't that be a turn off to them…to have to see Austin sing with another girl?" She was brilliant. Pride glistened all over her face as she was marveled by that fact. Even though Austin felt offended that she would go to such lengths to not sing with him, he was still flattered that she indirectly acknowledged his popularity and good looks. What a confidence booster.

"Hmm…you have a point there, Ms. Dawson," his deep voice trailed off.

"Just trying to help you out!" Yes, she felt home free. '_No duet, no duet please…'_

"It doesn't have to be a romantic, slow ballad though…" Jimmy rubbed a hand against his chin. "It can be a song about having fun; a party anthem, maybe? Plus, the fans know about the connection you two have and I doubt they feel threatened by it," he laughed, "I think some actually want a _stronger _ link betweenyou two."

Austin took this moment to interject. "Jimmy, I'm not sure if Ally is capable of writing an upbeat, 'party' song." He air quoted party.

Ally's jaw dropped similar to how Austin's did when he first laid eyes on her earlier. Two reasons flabbergasted her: one, the audacity Austin had to even _insult_ her after…and two, the fact that he had the guts to break this sort of "ignore the other's existence by keeping their acknowledgements down to pronouns" agreement they silently had. If steam could flow out of her ears, right now would be the time it would. "I so can," she couldn't help the sour tone she used. "Did Austin mention his inability to write songs in general?"

"I wrote a song on my album, thank you," he refused to look at her.

"Only because I motivated you to—"

"Okay, enough," Jimmy halted the progressing argument between his two guests. "If it's going to be that big of a deal, we will nix that. Are you sure you two can handle a tour together?"

"Of course!" Ally wanted to be the first one to let Jimmy know that she could separate business from personal affairs. "It'll be great."

"Yea, we can do this," still refusing to look at her for more than half-a-second, he motioned to her with his head and smiled brightly at their "boss".

"I'm counting on you two," his lightweight attitude suddenly turned stern. "This is a big deal, and whatever is going on between the two of you, I need that to be put aside. '_Blue Moon_' will be amazing for the both of you, if you open your minds to all the things it has to offer."

"We know," Ally took the liberty to speak on Austin's behalf, trying to signify that they could "get along".

"We are ready for this journey," Austin finished, catching her drift and reassuring Jimmy with his own statement.

"I'm glad to hear." He glanced at his watch, his eyes widening when he read the time. "Now, I have a meeting with some of your song producers, Ally, so we'll have to finish this tour talk another time."

* * *

><p>"Wait…you knew about this?" Ally's voice screeched through the phone. "Why didn't you tell me?"<p>

There was a pause on the other end. "Because…" a voice with a slight accent said, sounding extremely cautious. "Because I knew you wouldn't go if you knew Austin would be there."

Ally knew that was true; deep down, while she wanted nothing more than a "by chance" occurrence where she could run into him, she knew that she wouldn't be able to handle the stress that would come along with it. She still didn't know how she made it through that meeting without passing out from all the nervous energy that was still searing through her body. Still, on the surface, she was intensely offended. "Trish! You still should have told me…I did handle the situation incredibly well, thank you!"

"Okay then….did you and Austin speak after the meeting?"

There was a catch in Ally's breath.

That's the one thing that bothered her most about the situation. While everything about the condition concerned her; the somewhat harsh banter, the short looks, and his existence there in general, she still couldn't believe no progress had been made between them. She expected to walk out of that office, speedily making her way back to her car, and then, at a moment's notice, a hand would grab her shoulder. The touch would instantly send shivers down her spine, for her subconscious would know exactly who it was. She would turn to see hazel staring back at her, nothing but that and blonde surging into her view. She would see the sincerity in his eyes, and within the words that he would speak. He would be cautious, of course. She would be able to see not only the truth, but the fear behind the decision that would still be impending within his mind. He would smile as soon as their eyes would meet; the glow behind the surprise she felt would instantly brighten his spirits, and the confidence in the now certain choice he would make. His voice would come out raspy, nerves hindering his ability to think and act straight, even though, ironically, this would be the soundest decision he has made in quite some time. _"Ally…"_ a whisper would bring Ally's attention all on him. "_We need to talk."_

But this is reality and reality follows no script.

"No," Ally sighed as all of the intrinsic hopes faded away. "We didn't speak outside of the office."

"….Well then," Trish spoke, almost sounding surprised. "At least you have a date with Dallas tonight!"

She smiled as the thought of her "new beginning" flashed before her eyes. "Yea…you're right."

* * *

><p>A room has never felt so empty until now. Regardless of the sunshine pouring through the window shade and the melodies of spring flowing through the trails of the wind, this room felt dark and lonely. The walls held nothing but restrictions, reminders that maybe some boundaries just couldn't be broken.<p>

Austin felt the realization of that hit him in the chest as he threw himself onto his bed.

So many limitations held themselves up with the upmost strength inside of his heart. Boundaries of anxiety, boundaries of insecurity; having so much time spent on the morality of his heart. He knows the right way. It manipulated his thoughts, and the feeling within the pit of his stomach physically told him of what he should be doing, of what he should have done that night. So many regrets held deep down inside of him. The last few hours spent acted as a tool, fishing out those regrets and bringing them to the surface. It had been forever since such hopelessness found its way into his deportment…all because of one stupid meeting.

If this was the effect of a short period of time spent around her…how could he go on tour with her?

It has always been a constant battle within him, knowing that he messed up one of the deepest connections he has ever had with another person. It scared him to the point of stagnation; how could he approach an issue that he can't even face within himself? So many variables existed that stopped him from making any move at all. He was stuck with nothing but missed chances and excuses.

The sooner he came to the realization that it was too late, the faster he could pass over this obstacle in his path. True, so much time had passed that did not validate why he was still perturbed by everything, but today marked the first time he had to actually, physically face her. Now that he had the bit of "closure", he could begin accepting the fact that Ally and he would never be the same. What saddened him the most was how he actually liked it better not having to be near her, for when that was true, it was like he was in a vacuum, not having to come to terms with how catastrophic everything was between the two of them. It was so difficult restraining himself from following her out of that office today, grabbing her hand and telling her how excited he was to be able to spend months by her side, performing as one. He wanted to confide in her his fears of disappointing the crowds, of accidently walking onto another tour bus filled with screaming girls and being thousands of miles away from her. Austin wanted to follow her out and tell her everything he had bottled up inside of him. He has always wanted to do that, and as he realized the chance he didn't take, he placed his face into his hands.

His mind was a kaleidoscope of thoughts that he couldn't process all at once. He had to think about something else. Making a decision that he did not feel completely comfortable with, he grabbed the phone sitting in his pocket and went to his contacts. Seeing the name he was looking for, he clicked the call button and listened for the typical greeting everyone gave.

"Hello?" A voice replied, a hopeful ring echoing within their tone.

"Hey…want to go out tonight?"

* * *

><p>A sound of cascading bells filled the rooms of the house, alerting everyone that a visitor had arrived. Scurrying footsteps could be heard bouncing off the wooden floor of the hallway, making their way towards the front door. Once she arrived, Ally opened the door to find a boy standing there in a white polo shirt, holding a bouquet of roses. Her face instantly lit up. "Oh Dallas, you didn't have t—"<p>

"Shhh," he softly placed an index finger to her lips. "I wanted to."

She looked down at the floor, attempting to hide the flush of her face. When her eyes rose, they instantly met his. Suppressing the honest joy she felt was much harder than she thought it would be. "Well, that was nice of you," was all she could muster.

He allowed her to transport the flowers to her room, and once she returned, he placed a hand in hers. "I have such a surprise waiting for you."

"Oh, what could it be?" She teased him as he guided her to his vehicle, opening the door for her.

"I'll give you a hint," a grin shined across his face. He was obviously stoked. "It involves funnel cake and fried pickles."

* * *

><p>"Austin, this is such a great idea!" Elizabeth squealed as she gripped on to his arm. "I guess this can make up for you not talking to me much this morning."<p>

He looked to the pavement, masking a slight smile from taking over his features. "I think it can," he said as he looked up and signaled to his right, "Especially since you love rollercoasters."

The atmosphere of the amusement park was chaotic enough to distract anyone from any troubles. The noise of kids screaming, the sounds of various foods frying, and the flashing lights and music gave the rebellious vibe that attracted so many people to its gates. It was the hottest event in Miami right now, so Austin knew he had to make time to be a part of the newest carnival. It was the perfect opportunity to pause from everything weighing him down, and the perfect chance to make Elizabeth happy…hopefully.

"…I don't like rollercoasters," her voice dawdled. '_Oh shit'_. Who was it that he knew loved rollercoasters? '_Oh…'_

"But I know you love stuffed animals, right?" He was praying for a saving grace.

"Well, duh!" It was almost as if she forgot of his slip up. "Can you win me one?" Her blue eyes shone with a hope of a child, asking for the largest toy in a store window display.

Austin released a breath of relief. "Of course I can."

They made their way over to the nearest stand; one filled with targets and stuffed animals. He reached for the wallet in his back pocket, about to pay the worker when a sound so familiar reached the outskirts of his mind. It was a sound that he often dreamt about, though he'd never physically admit it; the sound that he spent nights memorizing. So calm and cool, now a statue standing in place as the fear of reality slapped him in the face.

If fascination and terror and awe could appear in a tangible form, there it stood, and there it began to vacantly approach him.

* * *

><p>Silence was a gift, she was taught. The beauty of it was that if it could be heard with someone, then that was the most comfortable thing that could be felt with them. Sitting in a vacancy of sound was the definition of vulnerability; a clean slate and the off chance that something could break that euphoria of peace. As Ally looked to her left, she couldn't help but smile at the sight of his face. So cute and adorable, and he was into her. The silence she heard right now wasn't the type that would make her inclined to go and cower in a corner. Instead, it gave her confidence. Maybe she could do something right after all.<p>

As they pulled up into the parking lot, Dallas took her hand before they left his vehicle. In somewhat of a shock, Ally cocked her head slightly in confusion. It all made sense when he raised her hand to his lips, and as if he were Flynn Rider looking into the eyes of the princess with magical hair, he gently pressed his lips against her skin. The sensation she felt overworked her heart, and at once, she knew this was too much for her to handle. How could a single touch arouse such a response out of her? It had been so long since a single, innocent, nice gesture like that had been done, and her existence appreciated it.

"Ready to go?" His eyes intensely looked at hers. She nodded in response, honestly tongue-tied. He came around and opened the door for her, causing a slight blush to crawl onto her face. She could get used to this.

Once her eyes laid upon on the scene before her, she couldn't help but gasp a little in surprise. "Woah…it's been forever since I've been to an amusement park!" The inner child begged to be released, and Ally was not afraid to let it show. She looked at Dallas with such gratitude that she didn't even realize it. He gave her the chance to be "young" again, and it was his opportunity to see the true colors of her soul.

"I remember you telling me how much you loved rollercoasters, so I thought we could check out this new park," he beamed with success. "Did I do a good job?"

"Well duh," she teased back, in a more flirtatious manner than she had intended. It really didn't come across in that way, anyways, which made her blush even more at her failed attempt. He just chuckled and took her hand.

"Come on, we need to go get in line for the Mariana's Trench ride. The line will be crazy long and I know we have to at least ride it," he almost hauled her away from the gated entrance. She didn't mind, because she was just as excited.

As they speedily walked, her eyes scanned all the sights before her. The lights, the people, the perfect spring air was making her feel some vibe that she hadn't felt in what seemed like forever. Of course, the first date she went on with Dallas was amazing, but this felt even more carefree than that did. It was as if she was in a realm of freedom, where literally, chance by chance stood in front of her, waiting to be taken. She saw so many roads, so many new endings she could write for herself. Those roads were going to be dangerous, long and winding, but sometimes, letting Fate take control and leading you somewhere wasn't the worst thing in the world.

As she practically skipped beside Dallas, listening to him talk about a Biology project that was stressing him out, she accidently took a look to her right. Opposite of all the forward moving she had made, she caught sight of maple and gold, such beautiful colors. She practically choked on the hitch in her breath, stopping mid-step and almost instantly freezing in place. Pupils dilated as if she were looking into a mirror, seeing the same reaction in a sight so daunting she didn't know what to do. It was as if the moment was frozen in time, for everything around her seemed to keep moving while she had an instant of inertia. The funny thing was…it was like that moment was shared with him. An instantaneous connection took her away from reality, but as fast as it arrived, it left and her feet kept stirring and her lips continued to move. Ally programmed herself to keep moving. Apparently, her work was successful.

As they approached the line, she felt the exponential increase of her heart rate, and it was almost as if the world began to spin around her. She kept saying to herself words of confidence that everything was okay, but physiologically, her body wasn't agreeing with her mind. Dallas started to notice and placed a comforting hand on the small of Ally's back. "Are you okay?"

She felt the will to breathe fast and heavy, but she suppressed it for as long as she could. "Um, yes, I just…need to go to the bathroom real quick. Can you save our spot?"

"Of course!" Once she acknowledged the approval, she went in search of the nearest bathroom.

Currents and currents of people flowed around her, as if she were the upended rock in the middle of a river. Standing around, lost without a sense of destination, Ally tried to find the safe house she felt she most desperately needed. A moment of reprieve in the form of fast breathing and deep reflection seemed appealing to her. She couldn't process the sight she had realized without being alone. Dallas didn't deserve to have to comfort her on a problem that shouldn't even exist. Ally knew better than to rely on anyone else for validation when it had to come from her and herself only.

Wondering around for several minutes, she finally caught visual of the sanctuary she was searching for. While the shame and thoughts of disappointment crowded her brain, she was so caught up that her sense of spectacle began to fail her. Before she knew it, she walked straight into something strong and tough, solid enough to knock her back a few feet. Once Ally realized that she ran into something, she rubbed the front of her head with her hands and realized that someone was holding on to her.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, I didn't even see you the—"

The minute her hands left her face, the color of embarrassment changed to the clarity of ivory as if the sight before her had escaped from her dreams and into the prospect before her.

"Ally…" he breathed.


	5. Canvas

**Hey everyone! I know, I know...it's been so long since I've posted a chapter. I've been really busy with school and I'm currently attempting at attending Cornell University in the fall. It's an Ivy League and it's my dream, so my focus for most of February was gathering things for my application and so on with that. Now, the waters have calmed and I should be back to writing and posting more frequently. I am so so so sorry for the delay and I will do better in the future. If you are still keeping up with this, I thank you so much for your patience. This chapter will be worth it, and so will the next one because I have plans hehe :). Anyways, I hope you enjoy and please review or follow or favorite; all types of commentary or even a little notice make my day brighter. :)**

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><p>The moment he saw her was like seeing her all over again for the first time. The discovery, the curiosity; why was she here? Why was she there, in his line of sight? What brought them to this moment? It was as if everything around them had stopped, and at the instant their eyes met, he felt a pounding in his chest that he remembered to be so familiar to him at one time. He did not want that feeling to leave.<p>

As she continued on her trek, he was baffled by the fact that she kept going. She had stopped him in his tracks, sadly unnoticeable to Elizabeth's eyes. The gravity between them was almost heavenly, as if it had been there since the beginning of time. Yet, the doubt and questioning returned, and the instant slipped away as fast as it came.

"Austin…Austin?" a warmth on his hand brought him back to the reality before him. Elizabeth pouted at the lack of attention she was receiving from him. "Win me a stuffed animal?"

He urged a smile from the depth of him heart, thinking about the skills he possessed with the emotions of his face. Maybe acting was a future career path he could contemplate about. "Yea."

Austin paid the worker and took one of the plastic balls, aiming at the stirring target. After three failed attempts and a heart-to-heart within himself, he glanced over to Elizabeth. "I can't concentrate. I think I need to go to the bathroom."

Shocked from his apparent candor, Elizabeth giggled, unaware of the thoughts traveling like lightning through Austin's mind. "Okay honey." He smiled in response and turned to scope out solitude.

All he needed was time. Time was the one thing he thought he would always have on his side. Even though everyone deems it the enemy, it was the one thing he always thought he could count on. The number of days would forever increase; seconds to minutes, minutes to hours, all further away from the day he wished he could change. He would never forget the look on her face, how the disappointment within the color of her eyes wouldn't leave his mind. Time was the enemy, but so was he.

The aggregation of it all caused his fists to clench up, but none of it was noticed as his eyes moved from the pavement to a pair of worn-out sneakers. By the time he realized they belonged to a person, he recoiled and released all the tension within his body to the grasp of the person in front of him.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry, I didn't even see you the—"

Once he heard the tone of her voice, it was as if he was trapped in the reveries that passed through his life every day. His grip on her waist instantly tightened, eyes focusing on the face he had secretly wanted to gaze at for so long, but instead, avoided as if they a homework assignment being put off to the last minute. All the distant moments between them: the avoidance, the decisions to not speak instead of confrontation, the fear, and the hands of fate that seemed to keep them apart; all of those worries and problems seemed to fade away in a single moment that couldn't validate why any of the previous things happened. This was a chance. This was fate.

"Ally…" he almost whispered, refusing to allow his hands any restriction in their grip on her. She didn't fight it, either.

If their minds had ever agreed on anything, this one occurrence would be synonymous between the two. Despite her mask of hatred, she had spent nights sleeping to this scenario. It scared her so much, in fact, that she was speechless. She remained that way, staring at Austin with the intent of being dumbfounded.

"Ally, I know you probably hate me…" he voice was low and rushed, "and I have no idea what the hell is going through your mind right now," he chuckled, letting a small smile creep at the corners of his mouth, "I never have…" His smile widened, but returned to a somewhat stoic appeal. "Listen to me—"

"Ally?" a rushed voice interrupted the intimacy beginning to fire up. As if changing a car going from drive to reverse, Austin's grip instantly fell and Ally turned in a polite rage to find her seeker. Of course, Dallas smiled, and Ally did in return. "You okay? You were taking a long time, so I thought I would come and find you." Dallas's eyes went to Austin. "Austin?"

While his the now fists that laid by his side wanted to greet Dallas's face, they remained tolerant. Why he was feeling such anger, he didn't want t admit. All he wanted was to be with Ally…alone. Still, the thought that she was here with someone made him want to go find Elizabeth and forget he ever saw Ally. "Hey man, Ally and I were just catching up since we accidentally ran into each other."

"Yea, Austin saved me from totally falling face-first into the pavement," Ally stiffened a giggle and threw her hand up, gesturing the lack of meaning this whole instance held. "I'm just so clumsy."

Dallas smiled. "Well, thanks for catching her, man. It's nice to see you two talking. The whole school thinks you two hate each other."

"Hate each other?" Austin and Ally responded at the same time. She blushed and he scratched the back of his head.

"Our schedules just never allow us time to hang out at school," Ally attempted at a save.

"Yea, we hang out after school still," the blatant lie made Austin wonder why he was lying in the first place.

Dallas nodded. "Well, that's nice to know, then. I mean, if anyone could win the superlative for 'best friends', it's you two," he reached for Ally's hand. "Anyways, the night continues to grow old. Ally, shall we?"

Ally continued to blush. While it should have been from the chivalry being displayed before her, the embarrassment from Austin and Dallas's confrontation made her want to go home and scream into a pillow. The workings of fate mystified her.

"Yea," was the only response she could muster. She turned her gaze to Austin, her tone more abnormal than she meant for it to sound. "See you later."

Austin nodded in agreement. "See ya."

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><p>A bed had never felt so comfortable, so serene when it was just a physical object. Right now, her connection with it seemed to be close to that of with a living being. The feeling of security she felt was unprecedented, like the assurance of a best friend listening to her troubles, rationalizing them and returning those points with careful advice. Ally laid on her bed, the roller-coaster of emotions she had felt throughout the day flowing out of her mind. Sleep beckoned her. She was willing to follow.<p>

Ally had never felt so mentally exhausted in her life. Sure, she had been through rigorous tests in math class, challenging assignments in physics, but nothing compared to being emotionally drained. All she wanted to do was lay there, leaving behind the reality of the situation at hands. She wanted the answers to appear right before her, but unfortunately, life did not function in that manner.

Why did she feel so upset? She had a nice time at the fair with Dallas. He was the gentleman any girl would fluster herself over for. He opened car doors, paid for meals; how many guys were left who were like that? Austin sure wasn't much in comparison to that…

_Austin_.

And just like that, the thought of his golden hair and beautiful eyes made her heart warm up. It was as if she were in an emotional paradox, stuck between the truth she wants to believe and the actual truth that runs through the veins of her soul. It was like a pre-constructed idea that she couldn't alter. Set in stone was her outlook on Austin Moon, and no matter what she did, as long as she was in any way close to him, she would never be able to even begin shaking him off. The cold, hard truth stared her in the face for so long, like a high-definition mirror. Accepting these conditions made her feel like her soul was sick, thoughts unwinding in an irrational manner. None of it made sense to her, and that notion alone haunted her.

Her phone began to vibrate. She knew it was probably a text message from Dallas checking up on her, so she made no real attempt at responding quickly. He'd be there seven minutes from now. He always was.

But for some reason, she took a glance at her phone, and when she did, her eyes widened.

She hesitated, looking around her room as millions of thoughts seemed to swirl in her mind like an organized chaos of clouds erupting into a hurricane. As if the heart of the storm found its way to the forefront of the storm, her hands grabbed for her purse and car keys.

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><p>Austin gently placed his hands on the sides of her face, gently stroking the sides of her cheekbones with his thumbs. He had done this numerous times before, knowing the perfect route to take. He was aware on how to make a girl fall for him, especially when it came to physicality. He may not have been the best in the academic world, but if they had a class on how to "win a girl over", he would surely ace it.<p>

Elizabeth's blue eyes stared at his with a burning flame he had seen so many times. The passion within her ambiance, the longing for more than she had ever known; the workings of a girl's mind were somewhat too easy for him to decipher. Yet, here he was, playing the game again.

It was almost too easy for him, actually. The thought of going through this process with her again seemed to bore him. Or was he really bored? Never had he found displeasure from being with a girl, but at this moment, he really wanted to be anywhere but in his car, with her anywhere but by his side.

Still, curiosity got the best of him, and he gently placed his lips on hers. No real sparks rumbled within his chest, only the initial rush of intimacy. She moved similar to him at first, gentle motions with gentle meaning. As the seconds passed, though, her actions became more aggressive, as if practically moving them forward at the speed of a bullet. Austin tried his best to counteract, but his lead on things slowly faltered, and there she was, hands on his face and controlling the synchronization Austin had hoped to avoid.

The core of his species pushed him to continue forth. He couldn't blur his reputation. What would the others think if he did what he was about to do? They would be ashamed. Elizabeth was hot, he couldn't pass that up again…but the beating in his chest pounded a different thought, a different feeling that eventually influenced him to break away from her.

"…What's wrong?" she said in confusion, her hands making their way back to Austin's face. He gently grabbed them and placed them in her lap.

"Listen, I can't do this tonight. My parents are expecting me and—"

"Since when did you listen to your parents?" A slight hint of sass found its way into Elizabeth's tone. He hadn't really heard that side of her before.

"You know I don't," Austin was finding any way out of the hole he was digging himself into. "Tonight, though, my mom wanted me home to…help her with some things."

"At this hour?" Elizabeth looked skeptical. Why would he have gone through all of this trouble, driving far out into a deserted parking lot, to simply change plans? Austin racked his brain for any excuse.

"Yea, I have to help her move some furniture…she didn't get home until, like, thirty minutes ago so she is probably freaking out right now," he stifled a giggle to ease the tension. It seemed to work, since Elizabeth sighed and returned an accepting gesture.

"Alright then…we can just pick up where we left off next time," she winked and looked at her cell phone. "You can take me home now."

Austin nodded and started his car, turning the radio up to a polite medium as he drove towards the main road back to town.

The night he had experienced had been anything but what he wanted. What he wanted was to have a night of freedom out in the aisle of carnival rides and funnel cakes, with the hottest girl in school by his side, wanting to be there and craving him more than he was her. He wanted to be calm and cool without that deep feeling in his chest. He wanted to find ways to start over, almost in desperation as the night was coming closer to an end when he found Elizabeth and himself alone in his car on the outskirts of town. Out of all the ways the night could have ended, the way it was going was picture perfect…almost too perfect. Maybe that is what scared him; things haven't went that right for him in a long time.

Yet here he was, driving the hot girl home way within curfew. The speed of his car was going faster than the speed limit, but he had no clue why he was in a hurry. He just was.

Before he knew it, Elizabeth kissed him on the cheek goodnight and walked herself to her front door. As soon as his car door slammed, he went for his phone to check for any notifications and text messages. Realizing he had none, he went to his contacts and shakily clicked a name. He typed a few letters together, placed his phone back in the middle compartment, and slammed his foot down on the gas pedal.

The feeling in his chest disappeared.

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><p>The walls of the room used to be a constriction, a container of memories her heart no longer wanted to remember with the vividness she did whenever she was in here. The seat at the piano, the ivory and ebony of the keys, the neon light of the large "A" that used to reflect off of his hair—it was seared into her memory like colors and lines on a canvas board. The room was her canvas to which she created beautiful music and words and connections, all with the person she thought he was. Maybe this was a bad idea.<p>

Still, she sat her purse down on the table and walked straight to the piano, lifting the cover and gently placing her finger on a C major chord. Almost instantly, her fingers began to skim along keys to a melody that her mind was already formulating. It was a mixture of major and minor tones that demonstrated how mixed up she was feeling being in that room so late at night again. Just the night before, she had journeyed up to this room in a personal validation of her independence from all the animosity she had previously held against it. Now, she was back, almost for the opposite purpose: she was giving in. So wrong and so right at the same moment. The rebellion of all the stories she had read and the logic of innocence.

A knock on the window frightened her out of her reverie as she turned and met the eyes she had longed to see again. He returned that same glow, drawing her to open the window and allow him entrance. No hesitancy lived in his bones as climbed from the tree outside to the light shining from the "A" off the far wall. It felt almost like old times and Ally did not realize how much she had yearned to be in here again with him until she was actually there in the moment. A smile instantly flashed on her features.

"I didn't think you would come," Austin said in a hushed tone, even though no one else was in the store with them. He sounded out of breath. "I really didn't think you'd come."

She continued to radiate with the shine of a genuine smile. "Me either…but here I am."

Austin paused before slowing his heartbeat to as low as he could, still feeling the pounding in his chest as if he forgot what it felt like for it to beat like that. "Ally, I know a lot has gone on between the two of us. It's been on my mind ever since it happened…"

"Really?" she lightly cocked her head to the side. The inner investigator began to come forth. "I mean, it's like you've been avoiding me ever since…you know…"

"To be honest, I would want to come here at Sonic Boom, walk straight through those doors, and talk to you about it. I just…could never do it," Austin tore his gaze away from her, trying to find some object of comfort to stare at.

"It's understandable," Ally sighed. "I mean, we never really _actually _talked about it…not at all."

"Well," Austin brought his eyes back to the deep brown of Ally's. "I think it's about time we did."


	6. Indianapolis

**Hey guys! It's been a while, I know, but it's summer so it's time for this story to be continued! Life has been crazy, but...I GOT INTO CORNELL! I'm in awe about it, but hopefully, this chapter will put you in awe. Please, please, please do not hesitate to leave me a review, good or bad; I want to know if I am creating an interesting story or not. Again, thank you so much for reading and I hope this chapter was worth the wait :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nada of the characters and their original creations (except for like one).**

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><p>Ally's breath stopped in the climax of motion.<p>

_Talk about it?_ This moment had created itself over and over within her mind like the consistency of clockwork. So many scenarios with so many interchanges of vernacular and connotations, so many horrific endings and fairy tale ever afters rushed through her mind all at once. Overwhelmed, she tore away from the depths of Austin's orbs. She had to compose herself and remember the facts. While her heart fluttered with the sea of opportunities crashing before her, she had to keep rationale in play. Emotions could not dictate this decision. "Umm…" she managed to murmur.

Austin's eyebrows furrowed in a concerned manner. "Ally—"

"Austin, I just need a minute," she turned back to him with a rush of emotion and logic running through her veins. It was fighting its way to the exterior, and she was not fighting back. "I mean—"

And here it came to the surface.

"I-I mean, look at us," she allowed a small chuckle out. "Here we are, in the solitude of my dad's music shop, having a conversation we should have had _months _ago. I mean, Austin, we avoided each other for so long for absolutely no reason but to prolong the inevitable, which is us standing here, yet again, avoiding the elephant in the room," she sighed, taking a step closer to where their faces were only inches apart. "Austin…I-"

"Ally…" he gently placed his hands on her shoulders. To see all the intent running within her words, to see them be surrounded by the thought of him…he never thought she would speak to him in such a way again. Yet, with all the confidence he thought he had gathered on the car ride here, his hands possessed a small tremor unprecedented to his personality. Austin Moon was never this nervous. Austin Moon did not reject girls and take them home earlier than curfew. Austin Moon did not write songs on his own. Austin Moon was swimming in uncharted waters for too long, and it was about time he fixed that.

"Yes?" a voice brought him back to the situation at hand. A beautiful girl stood before him, looking with such serenity that he just smiled in returned and rubbed his hands against the tops of her arms.

"It's okay," he almost glowed with a paradoxical victory. "I forgive you."

And just like that, the whole situation went off onto a tangent.

The smile from Ally's face immediately stiffened into an annoyed furrow of utter shock and, ironically, a look of total expectancy. She grabbed his hands and placed them back at his side. A satirical chuckle escaped her lips. "You forgive me?"

"…Yea?" It almost appeared as if Austin were genuinely oblivious to the damaged he had just committed. "Look, Ally, it's okay to have feelings for me, I understand, but now, we can just let it go and be the great friends and co-songwriters we used to be!" He just smiled as Ally returned a look of pure amazement.

In that moment, the logic that fought to present itself became blatantly clear to her. Sure, he had the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen on a boy, and the commitment to a passion that could fuel the intensity of a newborn star, but those attractive qualities were masked by ones that she could not overlook. Austin was pretty confident of himself, but this…this was different. The once starlet who was timid in front of the lights had now forgotten the core of what brought him to that achievement, along with the connection they shared that surpassed simple perks and modest gains. Was their friendship just a supplement for a career? Did their connection mean nothing more to him but the chance to write incredible songs for his record that he would perform? It all boiled down to nothing more than a business transaction. The tense reality pulled at her heartstrings, as she looked at the guy in front of her and accepted the fact that she truly no longer recognized who she fell for those several months back. He was different and so was she.

Ally bit her lip as she fought the urge to just walk out and drive home behind a translucent wall of salty water drops. "Do you not remember?" That was all she could say.

Austin stood there in silence, somewhat baffled where she was taking the conversation and why she had not accepted his apology yet. His heart rate began to speed up.

After a pause, Ally realized he had no intent to answer, so she took the rhetorical route. "It was that night in Indianapolis, right? The big show in the football arena? Fans were everywhere before and after the show. Remember how crazy it was?" For a second, Ally remembered how it felt to just glance at the enormous crowd that stood before him, cheering and screaming his name. Even though she was just a travelling guest along with Trish and Dez, she still took the opportunity to sneak past the guards and black-suited officials to take in what Austin had to every show. '_One day_…' she always thought to herself. '_One day, this will be me.'_ Austin would always break her reverie, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Just think Ally," he would always say. "One day, you'll be in front of a crowd like this!" Shivers would shoot down her spine at the accuracy he held for what was on her mind. It was all because of him that she was rid of her stage fright, and there he was, just shooting her confidence up even more.

But that didn't matter now, as she stared into the eyes of someone who did quite the opposite now. As Ally continued, Austin's eyes widened at the night she was describing, "You did an incredible show, and at the end, all the fans screamed and cheered your name. It was fitting that your concert was in an arena that night, because it wasn't just a normal concert." Ally looked away, unable to stare him straight down as she continued. "That night, we had some down time after the meet-and-greet. It was super late, so we decided to not go on the road until the next morning. Trish, Dez, and I had helped with the chaos of containing all the screaming fans of yours until way after it had ended," she bit her lip. "Once we were done, one of the executives wanted to take us out for a really late dinner somewhere, I don't even remember now," Ally glanced up at the ceiling, wondering to herself why she was describing the night in such detail. She finally handled herself in a way where her eyes could safely meet the blues of Austin's. There he stood, so uncomfortable, wavering in the prideful disposition he had just possessed minutes ago.

"Trish and Dez went to the other tour bus so they could grab her purse or secretly make-out, I don't know," she giggled at the thought of those two together, "But, umm…I went to the boys' bus, looking for you." She looked away again as tears couldn't help but swell in her eyes. "I found you, of course, right as you were unhooking the bra of, oh, I don't know, some groupie who you had _just_ met at the meet-and-greet, who was now just casually sitting in your lap?"

As Ally's pitch gathered in height, the all too familiar weight Austin felt came surging through him, almost tenfold of how he usually felt it. That was it. _Guilt_.

"I thought she had locked the door…" Still, all he could muster were the thoughts at the bare top of his mind.

"…That's all you have to say? _You thought she locked the door_?" She released a sarcastic huff as she turned away, ready to be out of the conversation. "Are you _serious_—"

His brain had been on cruise control, unable to realize the reality that was standing before him. Here, he had wanted Ally back for so long, not fully realizing the consequences that would occur from this confrontation. Deep inside, he knew the wrong he did, but he didn't want to face it because it meant more. More feelings, to which they had already faced once and decided to let go. Why was she acting this way when they had already decided to be just friends?

Snapping back to the situation at hand, he grabbed her arm in another weak attempt to make things right. "Ally, ally," his words rushed out, "maybe that came out wrong before." She stopped to listen, still silently refusing to allow herself another glance at him. Aware of her stubbornness, he released her arm and placed it gently on her face, slowly turning her back to meet his eyes. The softness of his skin took her for a surprise, and in that thought, she allowed herself to be moved by him. For a moment, when their eyes connected in some sort of meaningful fashion, it was like old times.

"Okay, Ally, you know I'm terrible with words," his thumb gently moved in a circular motion as his hand continued to cup her face. "I just thought that with you here, you were ready to be my friend again. I mean, we decided back then that we were just friends…I didn't know you would be so upset about that…" running out of thought, he just stared intensely at her.

Ally was at a loss for words. She didn't know if she was more upset about his lack of guilt for his actions, or how oblivious he had been to the connection she thought they had. Sure, they had agreed to that…but wasn't it a silent agreement honored by a code? In her heart, she knew nobody would have compared to the guy she thought he was. In her mind, it was just him not being ready for them to take a chance, and she respected that. She didn't know it was honestly him not being into her the way she used to be into him.

Her hand reached for his, lingered for a moment, and placed his back at his side. "Listen Austin," she attempted to make a rebuttal out of all the confused and disappointed and angry and simply sad thoughts that were swirling through her mind. "Maybe I was the one who lied when we decided to be just friends," she sighed, "but the guy I thought you were wouldn't have had just some random girl on his tour bus. He just…wouldn't have done that, or at least, I was hoping he wouldn't be the type to do that," she bit her lip, "maybe I was wrong." With that, she turned away and scanned the room for her purse. Austin was left frozen in place, dealing with nothing but his own swirling thoughts and the feeling in his stomach being the worst it had ever been. '_What if this is truly my fault? Did I lead her on? Was I leading her on? She's just so beautiful…'_ In one last desperate attempt at making things right, he grabbed her arm and turned her to where their faces were just inches apart again. Ally's eyes held more than just curiosity, this time anger backed it as she had obviously had enough of this situation. Austin raised both of his hands in a rush to the back of her head, his fingers cascaded by a flow of soft, brunette hair. He acknowledged the shocked look she was giving him, but chose to ignore it and speedily placed his lips onto hers.

In that moment, everything slowed down.

All the tension and emotion and logic took a back seat and there they stood, in an instant that they had both discretely wanted for the longest time. They had kissed before, but it was timid; not as fearless as the leap Austin just took. He had just worked "so hard" to make things platonic, but when it came down to it, his heart had decided what was truly on his mind. No thoughts of the tour or of Elizabeth or how Dez would react to this or anything else, just the softness of her lips.

Ally wanted to fight back, truly, but the initial astonishment transformed over to response. They just moved so nicely with one another. How could she have ever been mad at him? This was what she wanted. She wanted Austin Moon. They wanted each other.

Seconds rolled on and by then Austin had walked them to the door, pressing Ally against the back of it. His hands had traveled from her face to the sides of her frame, stopping at the top of her waist. The intensity he felt with her was like no other he had ever felt before. Never was any moment, with Elizabeth or any other girl he had been with before, similar to moments he felt when he was with Ally. They were so synchronized, with a natural rhythm that had to be created by some power over them. This feminine thought felt out of nature, but he didn't care. Right now, no feeling plagued his stomach. He was weightless; free of remorse, free of responsibility, just filled with a passion he only felt when he was on stage…and when he was with her.

Ally was ecstatic as well. She imagined them together again so many times, she had loss count, almost registering it in her mind as a far off fantasy that was bound to stay imaginary. As Ally's thoughts had halted at what seemed like a brick wall, though, a little light poked through and rationale took the forefront in her mind. She pulled away as much as she could and Austin cocked his head, "What's up?" His tone was low and hushed as he tried to make eye contact with her. He was gleaming at the sight of her.

The incident and reality struck and Ally turned away this time, "I-I need to go."

Austin went for her arm again, but this time she pulled away. What was she doing? Kissing a boy who obviously did not want to commit to her, whose personality was so different now, she could barely recognize, who was still with another girl…

_Dallas_.

Ally held back all the bottled up emotions she was feeling as she grabbed her purse and slammed the door behind her.

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><p>Austin stood there, attempting to process what just happened. He thought he had her. He was so certain that being honest with himself and with her would be the key to fixing this ridiculous pause their relationship, or friendship, or whatever, had taken. Now he knew the depths of his feelings for her, being deeper than anything he could attempt to describe with words. Why would she turn away from that?<p>

He took a moment and gazed at the room. So many memories were created within these four walls, at the bench in front of the piano where he would accidentally gaze at her while she would be creating a melody at the tip of her fingers. So many little moments…all haunted by what was happening right now. No, not anymore. This was going to be finalized.

He ran after her.

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><p>Ally had made it to the fountain and the center square of the mall before she ran out of breath. She paused, looking over her shoulder to see no one in sight. She sat down against the little boundary surrounding the pennies and dimes covered by a thin layer of vibrant water. The sound poured into her mind, clearing the conglomerate of paths and obstacles she felt like she had to choose between or avoid.<p>

Why did she let him do that? All she wanted was Austin back, but taking such a risqué route did not appease her. She would have never done that. He had a girlfriend…did he even remember that? She had someone too…how could she? How was she any better than the Austin on the tour bus that night? There she had been, preaching to herself how different Austin was and the selfish demeanor he had, and yet, she was committing some of the same actions that were also egotistic?

Before she had too much time to allow her anger and confusion to fester, a familiar voice called out her name. She turned and saw the blonde haired boy jogging to her.

"Ally," he said when he finally made it to her, somewhat out of breath. "Ally, why did you do that?" Genuine concern painted his tone. "I thought we were okay…"

"Okay?" Ally looked away. "Austin, you have a girlfriend, and I…and Dallas, and…" she moaned. "I don't know."

Austin stood there, at a loss for words because he couldn't decipher where this conversation was going. Dallas? Elizabeth? All he knew was one word. "Ally…"

"Listen," she stood up and placed her purse on her shoulder. "I was out of line, in a way. I shouldn't have been jealous to the point of us prolonging this. I shouldn't have been so mad, or maybe I shouldn't have held such high expectations for us when we had already simplified things. You have Elizabeth and I have Dallas. They are probably waiting for us to text them back or call them, I don't know, but us…that was in the past. We are different people now, at least, I think so," she didn't know what she was saying. Everything was coming out in a blur of connotations and feelings she couldn't fully understand, but they staggered out anyways. "This tour, though…it's a big opportunity, for the both of us, so let's be copacetic and allow ourselves this milestone in our careers…okay?"

Austin wasn't sure what to think. He had chosen to take a chance tonight to obtain his friend, the girl he would spend hours upon hours writing and creating beautiful music with. Now, a feeling had returned to his stomach, but it wasn't quite the same as before. It felt…out of his control; just honest. It wasn't a nagging pulse, but more of a pure ache. Their connection would never be the same, he realized. How could they contently be in a room together without wanting to awkwardly ignore each other? The other times they had kissed, it didn't end this way, because, deep down, they knew they wanted each other. Now, there were other people, and their feelings, and events that had occurred that obstructed that delicate understanding. He had hurt her, and this was the consequence.

He simply nodded in return and watched her walk to the parking lot.


	7. Microphone

**Hello everyone! I have great plans for this story and if you value patience, I'm sure it will be worth the wait. This chapter is pretty long, but I hope you all enjoy it! Favorite, follow, review; all opinions will make my day! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot line. **

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><p>It had been one week since Austin was alone in a room with Ally. In fact, their paths didn't cross at all. He had been busy catering to the needs of the label, recording the bonus songs for the deluxe edition of his record. He assumed Ally was tying up the loose ends in preparation for her album release, which he knew she had to be stressing over. They had one meeting with Jimmy for the world tour, but for some reason, he kept them separate this time.<p>

After Ally had drove off that night, he sat and looked through his phone at all the photos they had taken together, all the memories they had created. There was one Dez took of them on the piano, where he was staring at Ally as it appeared to be her picking out a melody, both of them glowing with sincerity and smiles. Another one was from the first "show" they performed together after Ally had gotten over her stage fright. The confidence in her demeanor; the way she had transformed right in front of his eyes…he smiled at that recollection. The last one tugged at him as it was the one photo they had taken on the day they decided to be together. Ally was gleaming at the camera while Austin's face was partially buried in the side of her hair, a large grin overcoming his features as well. It was so goofy, but it described them.

That's what he wanted back.

But now, his days revolved around work and the few moments he attempted to spend venting to Dez about it and avoiding the subject overall with Elizabeth. He was aware that he should have ended things, but with the grim outlook his relationship with Ally appeared to be, he couldn't just rid himself of the closest thing he had to a distraction. Plus, she was probably still with Dallas. He wasn't about to allow himself an outlet to self-pity. That was not Austin Moon.

_Austin Moon_. What did that even describe? A superstar? A selfish boy who just couldn't see what truly made him happy? All these deep thoughts rushed around and around in a never ending spiral to a self-validation that he, himself, could not fully understand. Discovering himself was becoming a pain in the ass. All he wanted was the feeling in his stomach to go away for good. That was simple enough to focus on.

"Man, I have told you…you and Ally are endgame," Dez said to Austin, snapping him back to his current state, which was sitting at an outside table near the smoothie kiosk in the mall.

"Endgame?" Austin smirked, slightly squeezing his cup in light frustration of having his whole life flipped around. "Meaning…?"

"Meaning that you and Ally are soul mates!" He cupped his hands around his face in delight. "You two wrote songs together, sang on stage together. She inspired you to go for your career and you inspired her to sing in front of others. How does that not mean anything?"

"Dez, we've talking about this a million times. Things aren't the same now—"

"To hell, they aren't!" Austin was taken aback by the slightly colorful vernacular from the ginger. "What's so different, huh? You two have other people involved? So? You two being with other people doesn't mean that you're both completely different now, does it?" Dez went into what Austin qualified as the "rare serious mode." "Sure, you two may be slightly different with new memories and experiences, but you still sing and she still writes. How much change can one person go through if their core values stay the same? I'm sitting here with you, and while, lately, you may have scared me, I think the Austin that wants everything to be right is sitting across from me, ready to do what he knows to be correct." Dez ended with a glorious smile. "Come on, man, get the girl!"

While Austin allowed himself to be caught up in the moment, the reality of them having separate partners and the events from the other night still took spotlight in his thoughts. "Dez…have you ever thought about being an inspirational speaker?"

"Why thank you, I've actually thought abo—hey, are you trying to change the subject?"

* * *

><p>Chord progressions and various scales echoed off the walls of the chestnut plated auditorium. An overflow of soft browns and golds coated the chairs and floor and walls of her surroundings, giving her a sense of security that was more mature than the practice room down at Sonic Boom. The piano in front of her was beautiful, hopefully like the melody she was working out in her mind, which translated to her fingers onto the polished keys before her. Ally was indebted to her love of music, a realm of escape she could always turn to. Now, she had the opportunity to do it as a career, a fact that was once a distant dream for her. The joy of this motion put a smile on her face, along with the lingering noise being from nothing but herself.<p>

"_La-la, la, la, la-la, here comes forever…_" she softly sang to herself, enjoying how it almost fit perfectly with the phrase her hands played steadily.

"Sounds beautiful," a voice pierced through the echoes of notes and sounds. Ally automatically jumped, her hands pressing against random keys, which made a terrible concoction of pitches.

"Oh…I'm sorry, did I startle you?" The voice chuckled as Ally realized who it was. She released a sigh of relief.

"Jimmy, oh my goodness," she responded in a breathless manner. "What has brought you here?"

"Oh, nothing much, I just wanted to see how your final song was coming along." He snooped over her shoulder at the handwritten notes on the music sheets. Ally blushed and placed her fingers over a few distinct keys.

"I think I want this song to be strictly acoustic. Would you like to hear the first verse and chorus?"

"I'd be delighted," he eagerly responded as Ally pressed the first few notes and hummed along to the pitches. "It's called '_Here Comes Forever'_," she spoke as she quickly turned to the first page.

_"Hm hm, hm, hm, hm-hm, hm-hm-hmm, hm-hm, hmm_

_I'm like that boom box outside of your window._

_I'm like a De Lorean blowing past 88,_

_And where we're going, boy, won't be needing roads 'cause,_

_This isn't 50 First Dates._

_I'm talking about starting out as friends._

_I'm talking about real and not pretend._

_I'm talking about roles of a lifetime._

_You and I can even right the end, hmmm._

_Here comes that movie scene,_

_One you hate, so cliché._

_That moment when we kiss, by the lake, pouring rain._

_I'm not a super girl, but I can change your world._

_La-la, la, la-la, la, here comes forever, hmmm._

_La-la, la, la-la, la, here comes forever."_

A pause existed between the two as she allowed the beauty of her music to soak into her mind. She loved raw, acoustic material, and she felt the lyrics of this song being perfectly portrayed with the simplicity of the musicality. She felt as if Jimmy agreed, for a large smile grew on his face.

"Beautiful! I have to go make a few calls about this," he quickly grabbed his phone from his back pocket and quickly walked to the nearest exit. Before he closed the door, he turned his head back to Ally, "_bonita_!"

Ally silently rejoiced to herself as she gathered up her sheet music. It was all coming together.

* * *

><p>Austin removed the headphones and placed them on the stool behind him in disappointment. His eyes met the ones staring back at him through the glass and he couldn't help but have an inner feeling of something similar to self-loathing, almost like that other sentiment he usually sensed when he thought about Ally.<p>

The clear door opened and the eyes continued to pierce through what Austin felt like to be the deepest part of his soul. Not able to handle the sensitive energy penetrating through him, he allowed his orbs to attach to the floor.

"Man, what is this?" Jimmy said in exasperation. "This isn't you," he snapped his fingers and Austin instantly made eye contact again. "What's going on?"

Ever since that night with Ally, his thoughts and emotions had been a whirlwind of confusion and angst and things his heart and mind weren't able to agree on. His heart wanted nothing but the touch of Ally's skin, the deepness of her eyes pouring into his, while his mind just wanted more songs and duets, more notoriety, more of what brought his opportunities like the one he was currently taking for granted. With his "mojo" off, his voice couldn't connect to him like it usually did.

The passion wasn't up to par and he honestly wasn't too bothered by that.

"Austin, listen to me," he snapped back to the label owner. "We only have two more songs and then the deluxe record is done. Can you give us all you have? That's all we're asking for." He made it sound so simple.

Austin nodded and looked away. "Yea man, I'm sorry. Just a bunch has been on my mind lately—"

"It's good," he placed a reassuring hand on Austin's shoulder. "Let's get as much done tonight as we can before Ally's album release party."

Maybe that was why he couldn't focus.

* * *

><p>Red dress. Fit to contour the lines of her figure, accentuating what Trish always gushed as her "large butt." She always argued that notion, but looking in that mirror, she could slightly see what her best friend was talking about.<p>

It was strange, knowing that tonight was all about _her_. She was so used to being the supporter of others that she never really had her own chance to feel the warmth of a spotlight, shining upon the genuine grin on her face, her heart fluttering from the approving looks she would receive from the crowd. The room would be crooning to not anyone else, but to her…at least, she would hope so. Her first performance in front of an audience showed her the confidence she could have and how she actually did have the talent that turned heads. Optimistically, she could muster up that same aura for her album's release party. After all, it was for her success, for the upcoming security of her career…

Such monstrous instants she would have to attempt at mastering…

Ally took a deep breath, recognized how flattering she looked and how it made her feel in that moment, and walked from her bathroom to where her phone sat on the nightstand beside her bed. A message shown and her heart practically skipped a beat. She read the long paragraph before her eyes even met the name of the sender:

_"I tried on the summer sun,  
>Felt good.<br>Nice and warm - knew it would.  
>Tried the grass beneath bare feet,<br>Felt neat.  
>Finally, finally felt well dressed,<em>

_…_

_Front door. :)"_

The pace of her heart returned to its usual rhythm as she scurried down the stairs. Despite knowing who was at the door, she was antsy in knowing why her date showed up twenty minutes early.

The door opened to show Dallas, dressed to the nines in a slim-fitting suit with a little package in his hands. "_Nature's clothes fit me best," _he murmured softly, eyes glowing with a level of poise Ally had tried to muster for herself all evening.

"Shel Silverstein," Ally attempted to return his radiant impression. "My favorite…"

"I remembered," his teeth could truly blind someone, and Ally questioned how she was able to have such a sweet and caring guy in front of her when she knew he could do better. Although she wanted her slight self-loathing session to continue, Dallas took her hand and placed in it what had been contained in the package.

It was a beautiful red rose on a pin. While its appearance was dashing, she cocked her head to the side, "Dallas, this is gorgeous, but—"

He chuckled softly, "It's not for your attire, miss. Instead, it is for you to pin onto my suit," he began to bring her hand to his chest. "It's mainly so that we sort of match, but also so that I have a little piece of you with me the whole night. I want the whole room to know that they are celebrating the accomplishments of my…" he stopped himself, "…beautiful date."

If she were the girl who didn't sit and write songs in her spare time and stay in her room and think of melodies and lyrics, she would have grabbed his face right then and there and kissed him. But she wasn't spontaneous. The thought of stepping out of her comfort zone terrified her. Yet, tonight revolved all around that concept. A new chapter was beginning with the pen in her hand and the words set up to be composed by her. Here she was, permitting another little pity party for herself, all because she walked away from Austin that nig—

_Oh no._

The next moment was purely filled with emotional insecurity as she quickly pinned the rose to Dallas's tux and leaned in for a kiss. Dallas, taken aback, instinctively backed off and smoldered with a victory he wasn't aware he was fighting for. "Ally," he panted. "That was, umm…"

"I'm going to go grab my purse and shoes," Ally tensed up, realizing the really dumb move she had just made. Suddenly, she felt the cool rush of skin against her arm as she was reeled around and facing Dallas once more.

He smiled, but with a more mischievous shade than before. "Hold on," he almost slurred as he leaned his face closer to hers. Her mind was going blank; unaware of what to do, she just closed her eyes and allowed her lips to part to his.

But all she could see was gold.

* * *

><p>Streamers and lines of bright colors crisscrossed among the gaze of the wall, granting an atmosphere of festive vibrancy and a night of cocktails, clapping, and blurry cognizance. So many "important" people, all together to give thanks to why they were who they were, because of the people who barely felt important themselves. But this party was to change that…at least for her.<p>

She deserved so much more credit than an upper-Miami office room decorated like a sweet sixteen birthday party. She deserved to have her work be known as more than just a new up-coming pop artist who "seemed" to only have a junior understanding on how to play the piano. Ally had much more depth than that.

It took him so long to truly see that.

Presently, he was entering a room full of people whose ages must have ranged from anything slightly above his to homerun bound. So socially isolated he felt, but instead of standing around and acknowledging that, he took what he saw as the "Ally-route" and just observed all the conversation and topics that floated around the room.

"Oh hey, did you see those preliminary World Cup standings? I don't know how the U.S.A team will get out of that one!"

"Oh, Mark, don't down us just yet. Germany is fantastic, but I'm sure we are up to par with Portugal."

"Hey Sally, dear, could you point me in the direction of the powder room? I'm quite lost—"

"What is this, cheap champagne? I thought Jimmy would do better…"

"HEY!" Finally, a remark directed towards him. He turned around to see a girl with long blonde hair, a blue in her eyes misleading to hold the complexity of the ocean, and a pair of high heels with the bottoms painted red with nail polish. He took a trivial breath in from shock. "E-Elizabeth? How—"

"How? Well, you were supposed to text me the address to this place and you never did, so I had to hunt down that friend of yours…Dez? Dez, who didn't know because he couldn't make it tonight because of some important Pilates class or something, I don't know," she kept rambling, "so then, I got a hold of that girl Trish that I've seen you hang around with before, and she _finally _told me. Good thing I'm so smart, right?" She cocked a translucent, glossy smile at her staggered date.

"Yea, I guess so…" Austin bared the thought of having to attach himself to her for the rest of the night. Was he such a terrible person? Maybe selfish, but maybe he just didn't want to hurt her feelings. That would be so genuine of him.

As if planned perfectly on cue, he looked at the doorway to find the woman of the hour, the one garbed perfectly in a dress he could only imagine her being in. The shine of her eyes, subtle to the overwhelming happiness she should be feeling right now. That was one thing he always admired about Ally, the fact that she was almost too humble. God, he adored that about her.

Still, the tinge of pain struck him as soon as he caught sight of the knight by her side, intertwining their arms together in some sort of medieval fashion. A prince, carrying his princess in to the ballroom, making face and establishing the idea that they were together. Austin tried to swallow down the lump in his throat. She was so beautiful…and not with him.

Austin really wanted to leave. Assembling all the self-pity and needs of absolution away from this, he turned away from Elizabeth and started going towards the door. All the strength in him was used to keep his eyes from resorting to a distasteful red and mimicking the power of a waterfall.

A casual hand touch to his shoulder caught him by surprise.

"Hey Austin…leaving so soon?"

* * *

><p>"Oh my gosh, we are so late, oh my gosh—"<p>

"Ally, relax," a quick kiss to her temple eased her psychologically, although his eyes not looking at the road just gave her heart more reason to go out of control. "The food there would have been terrible; you said so yourself. I'm sure our dinner was worth the few minutes we are running behind in."

"…Dallas, we are thirty minutes late," the rational side of Ally couldn't help but sneak a few words in. "I'm supposed to give a speech in ten minutes…"

"Well, we are almost there," no irritation in his tone, just empathy. Out of all his qualities, she enjoyed that the most. Ally smiled and just fooled around with the radio in silence until they reached the skyline of a building. Being the gentleman that he was, he parked the car and opened the door for her. "After you, Madame," he softly spoke into her ear as he pulled her in close to him. Ally couldn't help but blush.

Walking up to the room was probably one of the most blurry experiences she had ever had. So many words and sentences ran through her mind as to what she was about to walk into. She knew that Trish would be there, ready to gush out compliment after compliment in order to boost her confidence for her speech she would have to make in front of _everyone_. What Ally also hated to admit was the stress she would feel as soon as her feet would hit the stage, worried about the opinion of a boy in the crowd with the golden hair and hazel eyes. No no, no more perturbing about Austin Moon. Her gait fastened into a stride as the door opened and her eyes met the scene of the room.

Hoards of people dressed in fashions above her own mingled with drinks in their hands and smiles on their faces. The room was bright and colors were just everywhere. Despite the party indeed being within an office complex, it was still large enough for a screen projector of her album cover and a stage to be used in front of it. On that stage was a beautiful white piano and a microphone that appeared dying to be used. Ally unexpectedly caught sight of Austin, of course, but it slightly surprised her. Not only was he not the center of attention, he seemed nervous. She unconsciously rolled her eyes at the sight of Elizabeth, but furrowed her brows as she observed Austin making a beeline for the door, practically ignoring the poor girl trailing behind him.

"Ally?" Dallas gently brought her eyes to meet his. His smile was so comforting that she couldn't help but return him one.

"Yes?"

"Are you ready to go up and speak?"

Oh no.

* * *

><p>Austin turned to see Jimmy Starr, and for some reason, he couldn't shake off the grey cloud that was metaphorically looming above him. He sensed this was about to add to the rain. "Hey man," Austin barely muttered.<p>

"Man, what's got you under the weather all of a sudden?"

"Oh nothi—"

Elizabeth bumped into him before he could finish his sentence. "Austinnnnnnnnn."

"Oh…" Jimmy shared a sympathetic nod and continued on. "This wasn't planned or anything, but I'm going to need you to give a speech."

"A what?" Austin's eyed widened.

"Yay, baby, you'll get to go on stage!" Elizabeth squealed as if she were going on stage herself.

"Yes, a speech," Jimmy gave a look of judgment to the girl who didn't notice, but he returned to an almost stoic, business appearance with Austin. "We, at the label, did not want to initially announce the tour until your record party; however, after looking at the situation, we thought it would be unfair to hinder Ally with the lack of PR that you will be receiving when she honestly needs it more." Austin noticed the small insolence of that comment. Nevertheless, Jimmy continued, "we won't give all the details tonight, but we will at least announce the tour's title and some of the first dates, but to establish the connection between you and Ally, I want you to say a little bit about how proud you are of her, you two's friendship, whatever you can think of that can sound meaningful. It doesn't have to be real, just whatever you can say to get the fans excited for the tour and you two being the main acts of it." He placed a hand on Austin's shoulder. "You've got five minutes until we call you up on the stage. Good luck!" He smiled an almost forged smirk and walked away.

Elizabeth acted as a comforter, seeming to feel as if she knew something that she honestly had no tangible grasp on. "Oh come on, I know you two aren't on the best of terms, but you can think of something, right baby?"

Austin ignored her and started making his way towards the stage in an intimidated stupor.

* * *

><p>"Welcome, all of you wonderful guests, to the launch party for Ally Dawson's freshman album, <em>Parachute<em>!" A round of applause was given as Jimmy soaked in the attention. "I know she's excited about it—actually, I'm going to let her tell you how excited about it she is. Give it up for Ally Dawson, everyone!"

Another rush of claps erupted in the room as Ally cautiously made her way over to the daunting microphone she had feared for the past ten minutes of approaching. Out of all the eyes in the room, she couldn't find a pair to have solace in. Sure, she glanced over at Dallas, but his expectations were so high that she couldn't feel comforted depending on such heavy weights. Reluctantly, her eyes met a soft brown, like the hue of maple on the trees in her back yard, like the color of her favorite pair of boots. The radiance they held had no expectations, void of everything but support like the foundation of a house by the sea, only there to be nothing but sustenance.

She smiled and Austin mustered a smile back to her. "Hi everyone," she scarcely spoke into the microphone. "Um, thank you all for coming out tonight. It truly is an honor to be up here, sharing all the words from my heart to the world. Before we move on with any more festivities, there are some people I would like to thank." She smiled to the audience as she felt more relaxed, especially with the reassurance burning from her focus point. "My wonderful parents, who sadly couldn't make it tonight, along with the gracious label owner for giving me a chance at my dreams, Mr. Jimmy Starr." The audience clapped and he took a slight bow. "My best friend Trish, who acts as my manager as well. She helps me make so many important decisions, and I am truly thankful for that…" She smiled at her best friend down in the audience, who just melted in the surprise attention. As her mind had already moved on to the next topic, she felt her heartbeat speed up because, logically, this was not an intelligent idea, but her heart was chasing after it.

"Um, lastly I would like to thank one more special person." Her eyes seemed to now meet everyone's in the room except for his. "Little does he know that he has done so much for me, confidence wise, at least. I know they say that you are supposed to support yourself, to be able to look in the mirror and see a beautiful person. I have, to an extent, but I've always been terrified of being in front of large crowds of people…until I met Austin Moon." By a force similar to peer pressure, the maple of his finally met hers. "He showed me the bravery that it takes to stand up on a stage and give it your all, and for you showing me that, I am always appreciative." She gave a genuine, although forced by appearance, smile to him, and nodded to Jimmy to take the mic.

* * *

><p>'<em>Oh God<em>.'

Ally was taking center stage and all he could feel was nothing but angst; discomfort with the situation, discomfort with his surroundings, and especially with the current state of his relationship with pretty much everyone. There he stood, hounded by a girl who he didn't have the heart to break up with, sort of, and the puppeteer of his career standing smug on the stage, placing him into a fore coming circumstance he just couldn't mentally handle yet. There was the girl who he had been, in a way, fixated on for the longest time, blooming in her success without even the thought of him and how he longed to celebrate it with her.

He was so unhappy, it made him question the nadirs of himself, and he didn't understand why he had never been this sad before.

Still, seeing her up there in that red dress with her hair curled and her eyes shining with a light he had been so familiar with before, he couldn't help but feel a little satisfied at settling with just watching her be happy, even when it did not directly involve him. Was that a revelation? He felt better than before, at least.

But when her eyes met his, his heart stopped.

"…He showed me the bravery that it takes to stand up on a stage and give it your all, and for you showing me that, I am always appreciative."

'_Oh God.'_

He repaid that same smile to her, orbs glued to her every move until Jimmy's voice rung through the room like nails on a chalkboard. "Okay, so I have a little surprise for all of you wonderful guests. Before we announce it, I would like to introduce you to the presenter…Austin Moon!"

'_Woah, that was fast.'_ Austin waved to the crowd that applauded his gait up to the microphone. "Thank you, everyone," he was so used to these speeches. Say what they want to hear, or whatever sounds good, if that wasn't synonymous enough. "I'm so happy to be here tonight, but before I explain that, I have the honor of announcing…myself and Miss Ally Dawson over there will be touring together worldwide beginning next month!" He scanned the room, observing some of the rather stunned faces. "I know some of you are a little shocked, since I just came home from touring only a few months ago," he continued, "but this tour will mainly take place out of the states, and the key difference is the wonderful talent I will be performing alongside."

He took the mic off of the stand and walked straight to Ally, taking her hand into his free one. This was his chance. "Ally," he delicately spoke into the microphone as if it were just him and her, standing alone in a room without a marine of judgments watching each move they made. "Ally, we have known each other for quite some time now, and I always knew you were going to be somebody." He stepped closer to her, their faces only inches apart. "Never have I known someone who deserves this more than you do, and never have I been more proud of you. You helped me learn so much about myself, and I'm just starting to realize that. I'm so happy that I have the opportunity to tour with you, Miss Dawson. Congratulations on your record debut. You truly deserve it…" He held the microphone to his face, but his eyes were glued to hers, and he saw no resentment in them. For a moment, it felt like a parallel to that time they had sung together, and the look they gave one another when they finished. A look of pure joy and a sort of pride that wasn't boastful, but was sincerely earned. They had kissed that time, and he wanted nothing more than to repeat that route again, but Dallas was out there and—

"See folks, that sort of chemistry doesn't happen often, and you all will be seeing that on the _Blue Moon_ tour!" Somehow, Jimmy had found another mic.


	8. Yoga Pants

Well, hello once again. It has been a year since I have updated this story, and I've realized that I really need to finish what I started. I've been so busy with school, and being a science-y major, it's hard to find time to write. But I will finish this story, and if you have read it so far and are kind enough to read this and the rest, I would be forever grateful. Thanks again, and if you read this, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

><p>In that moment, she really didn't know what to feel. Joy? Confusion? Anger? Relief? Looking into his eyes did nothing but swirl her thoughts up even more, a hurricane of friction searching for the eye of the storm. Desperately wanting answers, she glanced away and allowed her thoughts to collect themselves. By the time she felt composed, Austin had already disappeared and Jimmy had made his way back to the stage.<p>

"Now…it's time for Ally's performance! Give it up for Ally Dawson and her first single, 'Parachute'!"

What was going on with her?

* * *

><p>'I made a fool of myself, I know I did…' The back hallways near the bathrooms seemed secluded enough for Austin to figure out what he had just done. He pretty much declared his vulnerability in front of a whole crowd of people, including Elizabeth and Dallas…but it didn't feel like it. All he knew was her and he, together on that stage…and that sort of alluded to how his life will be like in a month. Nothing but music and speeches…and her. But he was putting the cart before the horse; it did not matter what he felt, it was clear Ally had made her decision and he should start respecting that.<p>

Maybe he was just confused anyways.

Maybe the moments just appeared right and the atmosphere that surrounded them just beckoned them to be together. Maybe it was all outside forces and not what was truly destined to be.

As the distant sound of claps erupted from the main room, Jimmy had made his way to where Austin was.

"Hey man, you did great out there!" He stiffly patted Austin on the back in a way that should have been taken in a complimentary manner, but it just made his nerves surge.

"What do you mean?" Austin knew exactly what he meant.

"You know, the whole 'acting like there was chemistry' thing. I tell ya, for a second there, it looked like you were about to propose to her or something," Jimmy gave another slap and laughed objectionably. "You two will make this tour memorable, I just know it!"

Austin replied with a stifled laugh. "Yea…I guess so."

"Oh, you know so," he walked back towards the center room, but not before turning back and giving a confident point to Austin. "Keep it up!"

Rubbing the back of his head, Austin looked at the ground and concentrated on his shoes. "Yea man…"

* * *

><p>She sang the last note softly and the crowd just exploded with approval. She smiled and took an anxious bow, wanting to alleviate herself from the spotlight and go search for the answers her heart had been subconsciously looking for since Austin darted off the stage.<p>

While the DJ cut in to announce the next dance song, she dashed off the stage and scanned the room for any trace of that gold she was so familiar with. Instead, she was greeted with chestnut.

"Ally, that was amazing!" Dallas instantly brought her in for a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Dallas," she gave her best impression of a smile, eyes still gliding from corner to corner. "Can you excuse me for a moment?"

"Uhh, yea…sure," he nodded and headed in the direction of what seemed like the snack bar. Ally, guiltily, was not too concerned with that.

Making it to the back hallway, she heard the voice of Jimmy and quickly connected the pieces together that he was having a conversation with Austin. 'I don't want to interrupt them…' Despite wanting nothing more than to put her own curiosity to rest before anything else, she waited right outside of the hallway, still in earshot of the two voices.

"…the whole 'acting like there was chemistry' thing. I tell ya, for a second there, it looked like you were about to propose to her or something…you two will make this tour memorable, I just know it…"

Acting? Stupid her for not having that thought cross her mind, not even for a second. Austin Moon, planting these thoughts into her head that she was about to actually investigate further. After what they had already been through, to think she was another one of his feminine pawns…

"Yea…I guess so…" She couldn't mistake that tone for anyone else.

That just solidified what she had intrinsically feared.

She couldn't face him now, at least, not tonight. There was nothing more inviting now than the thought of laying in her bed, crying over a carton of chocolate ice cream and a phone call with Trish. But no, she couldn't have that. She had to compose herself and put on a show for all the party guests because she was supposed to be happy tonight anyways. This was her record party, her big accomplishment, and she was not going to allow Austin Moon another minute of her time.

She casually turned to the snack bar and pranced her way over to Dallas.

* * *

><p>The next morning arrived a little sooner than his taste. To have scheduled the first dance rehearsal right after a killer party, he wasn't aware if Jimmy actually knew what he was doing. Having to attend something so early, probably looking like he was hung-over…<p>

At least he would get to see Ally.

It felt elementary to restrict his happiness to the chance of seeing someone, the chance to be near them, maybe even the chance to gaze at their face from a distance that would be considered "invading the bubble area." He would be ashamed, but he cared about her, and no one really knew anyways so there was no harm in at least imagining the possibility.

It was one of the only things that energized him to be ready for this rehearsal. That, and the pancake smell drifting from the kitchen downstairs.

* * *

><p>Ally hadn't worn yoga pants out in public since…ever. She preferred the looser option, but according to Jimmy, she would need to practice in something tight since her dresses might be…tight. The logic seemed scrutinized to her, but at least he didn't ask her to cut her hair. That she probably wouldn't have done, or at least gone down without a fight.<p>

Snapping her back to reality, her phone rang and she glanced at the caller id. "Trish…" she muttered.

"Hey girl!" she cheerily said when she answered. After the talk they had last night after the party, she knew her best friend would be calling for the pre-rehearsal jitters and fears she knew she would have.

"Hey Ally!" Trish responded with the same enthusiasm, which made Ally feel even more confident about the day ahead. "Are you ready for your first dance rehearsal?"

"You know, I actually am," she pushed the speakerphone option and sat her phone down on the nightstand beside her bed. "I know I'm not the greatest dancer, but I only have to be in the finale, or something like that." Ally attempted to tie her hair in a high ponytail. The first time never goes right.

"Oh, you'll be fine; you're such an overachiever, I doubt you'll stop until your moves are prefect," she giggled, but the tone in her voice almost took a 180 as she moved on to what they both secretly wanted to discuss. "Are you nervous about seeing Austin? You know, after last night—"

"Actually, I'm not," Ally didn't mind interrupting a thought that was bound to go nowhere brilliant. "I finally figured him out, and you know, I'm okay with that. I don't think he was ever truly being honest in the sense of just wanting to be with me, and plus, I have Dallas and he has Elizabeth…"

"Oh, barely he does. He practically acts like he doesn't know her."

"See, Trish? What if that were me? I wouldn't want to be his girlfriend just because we look good together or that he's a good kisser—"

"So Ally finally spills, huh?" Trish almost detonated with laughter.

"I didn't mean—"

"I know, girl," Trish calmed down back to her serious tone. "But seriously, Ally, I didn't bring it up last night because you were upset…but, what if what you heard was just a miscommunication? The way he looked at you on that stage…to be honest, it would have had me fooled and you how skeptical I am."

"Trish, I don't want to linger on the 'maybe he didn't mean it' or 'maybe what he said was true.' I'd rather just leave it behind me and move on with this tour."

"So…you'd rather ignore it and put it off than to really face it and confront him about it once and for all?"

Ally tried her hardest to not anger herself. "Are you on his side now, Trish?"

Trish overlooked Ally's accusation of treason, "no…you know I always have your best interest in mind, and I just want to make sure you don't move forward with Dallas when you still have unresolved feelings for someone else…aka Austin Moon."

As soon as Trish finished her sentence, a car horn obnoxiously made its way through their conversation. "Speaking of Dallas, he is here to take me to my rehearsal. We'll talk later?"

"Yes, tell me how everything goes. Good luck!"

She picked up her phone, ended the conversation, and instinctively gathered all her things like she would do every morning for school. Instead of fearing what she would run into within the halls of academics and subtle bullying, she now had to worry about confrontation and the possibility of a broken ankle.

* * *

><p>"Nice pants," Dallas smirked as Ally made her way to the passenger seat, allowing him to close the car door behind her.<p>

She waited for him to return to the driver's side. "Oh hush. I was forced—"

"They look good." He smiled that smile that could make any girl's heart melt. She felt hers slowly making the transition from a strong solid to a vulnerable fluid.

Ally returned the same facial expression. "Thanks."

A slightly awkward pause laid between them until Dallas was ready to confront what Ally had already suspected. "So…" he began and she cringed. "The other night at your party…that speech Austin gave you…"

"Yea, I know…" she sighed. "Nothing to worry about, though. It was all fake."

"Really." Tone dripping in anything but question, his eyebrows raised as if he refused to believe it, but still took it into account anyways. "How did you find that out?"

"I, umm, was going to confront him about it, and I…overheard a conversation between him and our record label owner and he pretty much said all those things for publicity reasons," Ally's gaze made its way to her lap. She didn't understand why she felt so embarrassed.

"Hmm," the heat to her face was growing wildly like a fire through a forest. "Why did you feel the need to confront him?"

"…How is that even a question?" She made eye contact with Dallas, feeling cornered. "Wouldn't you have done the same?"

"….Only if I had feelings for that person."

Her stomach clenched.

"Listen Ally…" By then, they had made the short drive to the studio. He parked the car and took Ally's hand into his own, putting her in the position to force eye contact out of politeness. "You know I like you…a lot…but I do not want to get in the way of something…complicated—"

"It's not complicated…"

"Ally, it is," he squeezed her hand. "You are such an intelligent girl, but even now, you are speechless, because you know in your heart that you don't know what the hell is going on."

As if ashamed, Ally looked away and nodded as subtly as she could.

"So, I'll tell you this," he put his free hand on hers as well. "Go on this tour with him. Figure everything out; how he feels, how you feel, everything. And when you know what you truly want…you know where to find me."

Ally returned that radiant smile he was displaying. She swore, the compassion he was showing her was what she was going to do her best to show to every situation, even this dull one she was in now. "Why are you doing this…waiting for me?"

"Because," it almost appeared as if he were blushing. "When you care about someone, you let them figure things out, even if it isn't in your best interest. Haven't you seen The Notebook?"

She couldn't help but giggle at that confession. "Wow, aren't you cultured to the female psyche?"

Dallas smirked. "What can I say?" As his laugh died down to a solemn smile, he took the hand he was holding and gently brushed his lips against it. "Have fun at practice."

Feeling oddly at peace, she nodded and shut the door to his vehicle, watching him drive away in some sort of daze. What had just happened?

Then she heard the laughter of a boy who had no idea what he was doing and followed that sound.

* * *

><p>"That move is crazy! I can try it, but it may be an epic fail," he busted out in an uneasy amusement. Following the dance instructor, he attempted to mimic every body movement, but as soon as he saw her face, he froze.<p>

Ally.

It was like time stood still, seeing her after all that had happened. He had yet to be anywhere near her since the release party last night. If she was trying to avoid it, she did a pretty solid job of it.

The one leg he was standing on began to waver and before her knew it, he had fallen to the floor.

"Austinnnnn," the dance instructor exasperated in a mixture of annoyance and anger. "You need to get that move right or you won't have a signature one to pull off…" Breaking his judgmental stare away from the blonde scratching his head in confusion, he pranced his way over to Ally at the entrance.

"Oh, you must be Ally!" His claps of enthusiasm echoed off the pasty walls, mimicking the air of emptiness comparable to a prison. "So nice to meet you, I'm Caleb. I hope your moves are better than Austin's!" He cackled at his own joke, bumping an awkward Ally in the shoulder.

"Hey, I heard that…" Austin mumbled to himself, slightly humiliated to be shamed right in front of the one person he would want to impress most.

Ally just returned an uncomfortable smile. "Oh, I doubt that. Austin's had so many years of dance training—"

"Hey, no one's supposed to know about my gymnastics…" He had to defend himself.

"I didn't say gymnastics, you just did." Oh, so now they were carrying out cordial banter. How lovely.

Austin's stare went blank as the thought whirling in his mind dialed back to zero. "Oh...darn it."

Another awkward pause lasted until the dance instructor decided to take matters into his own hands. "Okay, anyways," he clapped several times to get the attention of the backup dancers, who were all somehow ahead of Austin and Ally in their routines, refining the few mistakes they were making. The two teens watching the professionals felt so intimidated, but neither willing to show it. "Okay everyone!" He brought them to the center of the room. "Here are our singers that we are trying to turn into decent dancers." The whole room laughed except for the two who, ironically, felt like outsiders. "Oh, I'm just kidding, you two are our fabulous stars," he brushed off the air as if he were actually swatting a fly out of his sight. "But let us see how these fabulous stars can dance."

* * *

><p>Ally walked out of the dance studio with more sweat on her body than she had ever felt before. She didn't know she could dance so much in one day. All of this logistics and effort and application really brought her dream to reality. She was just a few steps closer until she was face to face with a crowd, so large she wouldn't even have time to think about what each individual thought of her routine. She would just have to give it her all and hope that they enjoyed it as much as she will performing it.<p>

The one thought that had yet to cross her mind in her exhaustion had found its way to her, and had taken privilege to sit in her company.

"That was crazy, huh?" A nervous chuckle emitted from his throat, coming from a state of mind she rarely saw him in. "I know you don't dance as a hobby or anything…so I know it must've been quite an experience, huh?"

'Why do you care?' She wanted to ask him that, but she was already aware of the answer.

"Yea, it was." That was all she could say.

Austin must have caught the drift of her tone, because he stayed silent for a bit before speaking again. "What are you doing sitting out here, anyways?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Well, I wanted to talk to you before I left," She couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with him. "Do you have a ride home?"

"Yea, but they are running late—"

"Well, I can take you home, no problem," his voice sounded a little shaky. "You literally live right on the way and I really don't mind."

Ally had no clue what was going on. One minute, he was spilling his guts to her on stage, the next she found out the falsity of his words, and now he was practically begging to be in a vehicle alone with her. The lines between reality and fiction were blurring, and internally, she was freaking out because the lines between her mind and heart were blurring as well.

But curiosity ended up slamming the gavel on this one. "Sure Austin…you can take me home."

* * *

><p>It had been so long since she had sat in his passenger seat. The early days where their biggest worry was how late they should stay up to write songs really haunted her, because she would have given anything to have those days back.<p>

But now, she was sitting on borrowed time and a seat that was probably usually occupied by someone else. It felt so strange to be in this sort of loophole of time. Attempting to recreate an amicable atmosphere, Ally silently sat there and endured the radio station, despite the internal motivation to change it to something much more cultured like classical or jazz.

"So…" He obviously wanted to talk about something, and her inquisitiveness had brought her here, so the least she could do was indulge on that. "You excited for the tour?"

"Oh, absolutely. It's like a dream coming to life, you know?"

"Oh, I do. That's how I felt before my first tour, but you were there. I'm sure you remember it."

Awkward silence.

Ally wasn't sure on how to respond without unraveling. "Yea…I do." That was the best she could muster.

It took a moment for Austin as well. "Ally…it was a dream for me to be able to perform beside you like this. You know that, right?" Ally wasn't prepared to dive so deep so fast.

She simply nodded. "It was for me too."

She was taken aback by what he said next. "You know, I'm not that good in English class, but you said that in the past tense…"

Ally was petrified on the inside. The closer they became to confronting their feelings again, the more she wanted to crawl into the deepest slum in town. They already had one terrible confrontation, and while things had appeared to be going on an affable route, they simply couldn't let go of their most inherent feelings.

But Ally also couldn't let go of the night before.

"You're right, I did."

* * *

><p>Austin bit his lip. <em>Dallas<em>. "Hopefully, it will be better than you expect it to be." He glanced over at her, seeing the vibrancy of her eyes and the rose in her cheeks. Nothing steered him away from acknowledging the basic avowal of her beauty. Why were they playing this song? Why were they dancing around the thought of each other, the idea that the world didn't spin right, didn't feel right without her by his side?

But he cared about her, and he knew that if he truly did, he would put what she wants before himself.

He sighed, "Ally…it's okay."

She looked taken aback. "I don't understand?"

"What I did was wrong," he spoke carefully, realizing as the words left his mouth that, all along, maybe he had been the one to allow for such a disdaining situation. "We had feelings for each other, we both know that's true. Why we didn't pursue it, I'm not sure... For me, I was just always afraid…" He took in a deep breath, "I was afraid of losing you, because before you, I wasn't really anything. I mean, I was a person, but I was someone with no ambition. I had this dream, but no will to go after it. But then you came along, and it was like this brilliant light that showed me what all I could do. Not only that, but you were able to find yourself too. Not saying I made you better, because God knows you were great on your own, but I know by you helping me, you've helped yourself." He took his glazed eyes and stared fiercely at her, attempting to keep composure of a politician, one who actually cared about the topic at hand. "Ally, I care about you so much, and the past few days have shown me what I've lost. I'd give anything just to smile at you, and the knowledge that you'll smile back at me, too. Because we were a team, and I want that again."

Ally stared back with astounded eyes, and he knew that her mind was wavering. He had to sell his argument. He couldn't face the upcoming months without her. "We don't have to be together. I know what I did is something that has changed your perception of me, and it's not fair to ask that of you. And plus, I see how you and Dallas are together, and I can tell he cares about you. Me kissing you the other night, that wasn't fair to you or him, but I meant what I said on that stage last night. Please, let's be friends again. Let's go on tour and live the best moments of our lives together." By now, he had grabbed Ally's hand, eyes glassed over to the point where no more could rest between his lids, and several streams ran down the contours of his cheeks. "So…what do you say?"


	9. Maybe

**Hey everyone! I was not expecting such overwhelming support for my last chapter! You guys have literally stuck with me through a year's hiatus, and I can't thank you enough for continuing to read my story. Literally, you guys brought tears to my eyes. I promise to tell this story through, and right now, we are probably over half-way through. If you guys have any comments or suggestions, please do not hesitate to inform me! :) Love you guys so much! Please review and/or favorite so more people can read this as well! Thanks again! :)**

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><p>Ally didn't know what to say.<p>

A moment ago, she had the anger of the world stored inside of her heart, the clashing and guilt of right and wrong. She knew what he did to her didn't deserve an apology, but maybe what he did wasn't wrong after all? Maybe she could simply forgive him, give herself into the feeling that was he. The feel of his face between her hands, of the glow of blonde in her view; she knew from the moment she laid eyes on him that he would change her life. At one point, she thought that prospective was gone forever, and when he had positioned her between himself and the wall of the practice room, she felt those previous dreams re-ignite, but now it was like a cold cloth on a flame; she was dimming out.

"I…" She hesitated. After hearing him speak the words of a siren, she felt like a lost passenger at sea, desperate for the company of another, no matter the consequence, even though she knew exactly what it was. She could have him like this, or not have him at all. He seemed pretty absolute. Maybe it was her turn. Maybe they could be what they were.

"Maybe…we can try this," she finally muttered, as if the words were needles on her tongue, though she masked it fairly well. "I mean, you're right, Austin. I shouldn't have been so angry, but at the same time, we were kind of in a vague situation, but if we define this now…it shouldn't be a problem."

She could have swore she saw a flicker of disappointment cross his face, but if it had, it was gone the instant she saw it. He smiled warmly, and moved to put his arms around her in an almost awkward half-hug. They weren't used to having such strange boundaries imposed on their relationship, but maybe it was for the best. Maybe she should be with Dallas. Maybe she could forget what she overheard between him and Jimmy…

"Thank you, Ally," he spoke into her shoulder. "You really are my best friend."

* * *

><p>Austin beat furiously at the punching bag; sweat was running in rivets off his face. All his concentration fixated on that red bag, as if it were his mortal enemy.<p>

"Austin…are you alright?" Dez peaked around the side of the bag. "I'm pretty strong, but if you happen to punch through this, I may have to sue you."

Austin took a deep breath in exasperation. "Dez! You really think I can punch through this bag?"

"By the way you're acting, yea," Dez pushed the bag aside and went over to his colorful water bottle, dashed all around with stickers of local Miami eateries and special events. "What's been up with you? You've been punching like that this whole week."

Austin rolled his eyes and stared out of the nearby window, giving off the persona like he was mad at the world, when in reality, he was mainly mad at himself. "I'm sorry, man," he eventually said, staring down at the cushioned floor and shaking his head. "It's just—"

"Ally, isn't it?" Dez looked empathetically at his best friend.

Austin finally met his eyes. "Yea…I don't know what I did Dez. I thought I fixed it…" His golden orbs returned to the floor, a solemn posture inhabiting his body. It had been almost a whole month since he laid eyes on her. Somehow, she had had their dance lessons scheduled to where she would finish her routines before Austin ever made it to the studio; at least, he thought she had done that. She was unable to make it to his deluxe album release party, with Jimmy saying she wasn't feeling well that night. He had peaked in once or twice at Sonic Boom and had failed to see her there. All he was left with was an empty feeling that maybe there was no hope for them. Did she lie to him? What was going on?

"I thought you did too. I had talked to Trish the day after you told me about the talk Ally and you had, and I figured that everything would be normal again. I thought we'd have our group hangouts again, like old times…" Dez shook his head in disappointment. "I've tried asking her about it again, but she changes the subject every time."

Austin stared at the floor, waiting for the secrets of life and love and bravery to unfold before him. "Who knows…" he threw his gloves onto the floor and walked towards the locker room. Dez followed with the interest of a cop on a high-speed chase.

"You two have really got to figure this out…" Dez began, but Austin stopped dead in his tracks, turned around, and stared with an intensity that could burn down a whole city.

"Dez, what do you think I did when I talked to her?" His face began to turn red, "I

told her that I wanted to be her friend again, that having her in my life was better than not having her at all. And she looked understanding. I thought for sure we had talked it out, and now it's been a whole damn month—"

"Wait," Dez said, as if he had walked upon water or discovered the cure to cancer. "You don't know she's mad at you…you just haven't seen her, right?"

His best friend looked back at him with an arched eyebrow. "Yea, but—"

"BUT," Dez lifted an index finger. "You can't just assume that she's mad at you. Maybe they changed the dance schedule. Maybe she really was sick at the record party. Maybe she quit her job, who knows?"

"Yea, but…why wouldn't she have told me?" Austin's voice lowered almost to a whisper.

"You think it's easy for her?" Dez scoffed, rolling his eyes in an exasperated manner. "You haven't tried talking to her, have you? No calls, no texts, no other effort besides casually passing her store or running into her at dance practice? Maybe she feels afraid, because that's what you feel, right? Fear that you'll give it away that you still _really_ like her? Fear that you can ruin the chance to be her friend again?"

The blonde-haired boy stared solemnly at the locker he was now at, waiting for the truth to bubble up from the depths of his muddled heart. Dez knew, of course, but was it that obvious? Could it be so easily seen? "Why would she feel that way, Dez? I hurt her."

"Yea, you may have," Dez shook his head in pity, "but you think she hurt you, and you're still pining over her."

* * *

><p>The whistling tune of birds outside her window woke her from her slumber, as if insinuating that a perfect day was ahead of her.<p>

But it wasn't going to be a perfect day.

Today was going to be messy, a big conglomerate of gathering things, of making sure she didn't leave anything behind, of last-minute phone calls to relatives she wouldn't see in a while. She would have to face things and ignore things and explain the rationale behind her actions for the past month, because as soon as her eyes even dare a glance into his, the show would be over.

But it wasn't that she hated him. It wasn't that at all. Ever since their confrontation, she figured that that was it. No more thinking that maybe they could be together, because he seemed so finite and sure that she drudged on, eyes low to the path that she would have to walk, a path to independence, void of her feelings for Austin.

So she switched her dance schedule. She took time off from Sonic Boom to prepare herself for the tour. She missed his album release party, not to Jimmy's favor, but if she was going to move on, she was going to go all out.

Now it was time to face him, and she was supposed to already be moved on. She had called up Dallas the night after, crying at the thought that she didn't give him a fair chance, so he had came over, opened the door to the car for her, and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "No, we can try this," he whispered to her glazed eyes, as if staring into a window of her soul. But he never really saw it, and that was one of the things that hurt her the most.

So night after night, she would debate in her head to continue with the mask of hope, that she could think of him the way she thought of auburn eyes and tanned skin attached to firm arms and sharp angles, to the blonde scattered in every image when she thought of the one that broke her heart in Indianapolis, who took the best of her because that was it, it was him. It was always him.

But it killed her to think that that was what defined her, a stupid boy who kissed girls he barely knew and who looked at the world in such a shine that it was almost ignorant, like he didn't know any better. She always knew better, and he showed her that sometimes, you really can't know better.

Dallas showed her things, too. Like joy, and happiness, and security, and chivalry. He opened doors and brought flowers and kissed her sweetly goodnight, and held her hand and made sure she was always okay. She liked that, too, because she liked being okay. She liked being okay.

And with that, she rolled out of bed.

* * *

><p>The tour bus seemed to gleam in the parking lot of the recording studio, all shiny and ebony like a night in Arizona, full of stars and a wonderment of what else could be out there besides the beauty of the unknown.<p>

Which is what he felt right then, a bewilderment of what could possibly happen. He had no idea when he would be where; his tour manager was supposed to take care of that. All he had to do was perform and have fun, according to Jimmy, so he carelessly leaned again the bus, staring innocuously at his Instagram feed.

When he saw the other bus pull up, his heart skipped a beat. He rushed to place his phone in his pocket, knowing that she would _have_ to be here. They would have to come face to face.

Maybe he could yell at her, spew about how much of a hypocrite she was, or how much of one he was because all he could think about was her and the fact that he screwed up and had no idea how in the hell to fix it. But no, he had yet to break things off with Elizabeth, and she would be at his show in four weeks. She had gone on and on about how hot it would be to see him perform, and she had placed her hand on his knee, and looked at him with a yearning of an explorer searching for land, for proof that they weren't alone. But Austin had placed his hand upon hers, and looked down at the steering wheel. "Not tonight," he had whispered.

And here he was now, with the attention of a painter to the details of a flower, the topography of a single petal about to blow away in the wind. He could feel his hair rustle beneath his fingertips, and realized he was twirling a piece. He never did that. He hadn't done that in a long time.

Another car pulled into the parking lot, and it was like seeing the sun for the first time, the fear of the brightness and the feeling of burning heat in his cheeks, and he instantly shuddered. But with the curiosity of wanting to know what could cause such a sincere feeling, he slowly made his way to the back of the other bus.

And there she was, like something out of a book, quiet and careful, hair flowing below her shoulders, sunglasses on as if to show the world that she just wasn't ready to see it yet. For a moment, he felt their gazes cross, but she quickly made her way over to a beaming Jimmy waiting at the door of the bus.

"Good morning, Ally!" he approached her with open arms. "You ready to take off?"

Ally's dad chimed in as he carried two large suitcases. "For all the packing she has done, I sure hope so!"

Austin could see the red approach Ally's cheeks. She was always so easily flustered. "Come on dad, it's not that much."

The older man released a chuckle. "Okay, sure sweetheart," he dropped the bags and pulled Ally in for a tight hug. Austin was always touched about how close they were, and how he wished his parents were more sentimental. "I'll be at your show here in four weeks. I'll miss you, but I know you're off to do great things." He kissed the side of her head in their embrace, and walked away with the glow of a proud father.

Ally turned her attention back to Jimmy, who was just itching with excitement. "Okay, Ally, before we take off, I want you and Austin to meet your tour manager," he had somehow known that Austin was discreetly hiding behind the back of the bus. "Austin, come, you need to meet him too," he gestured in a rushed manner for Austin to join them, who had built this moment up so much in his head that he couldn't believe this was all it amounted to.

Austin quickly glanced at Ally, who he could tell was extremely uncomfortable and was trying to ignore his existence. '_Well, two can play at this game…'_

Jimmy led them to the interior of Ally's tour bus, and Austin heard her gasp at the sight before her. Tiled floors graced with chic black furniture, gold paneling gracing the borders of the walls, with two beds bunked on the side near the back. She smiled as Austin figured she had finally realized she was going on tour. He remembered that feeling all too well.

As if to solely snap him out of his reverie, Austin looked up to a dazzled guy dressed head to toe in black, shoes that reminded him of the 80s mixed with a minimalist style of an oversized tee shirt and tight black pants. His dark Dolce & Gabbana glasses added just the right amount of class.

He raked his eyes over Ally with a dull expression. "Hello, honey," he mused, turning his attention to Austin. "And hello to you gor—"

Jimmy cleared his throat. "Austin, Ally…this is your tour manager, Devon Slings."

"It's pronounced Deh-Vahn, like tampon," Devon shot back while inspecting the cuticles on his fingers. "Give me some time alone with them, darling, I must get to know who I'm running," he shooed off the record executive as if he were a passenger looking for the right terminal.

Austin nervously glanced at Ally again, who was actually looking at him this time with the same amount of fear hiding behind those eyes of hers. Austin cracked a small smile, to which Ally glanced away quickly, but with a burning face.

"Okay, you two," Devon placed one of his hands under his chin, as if he were trying to find a perfect mistake in a Da Vinci work. "I am quite the cool cat of a manager. I don't care what you do. Read books all you want, sneak rum behind my back while I secretly know, shit, invite your most messed up friends, I don't give a damn. I get paid handsomely regardless, as long as you two make it to all those stages in time," he cracked a grin of perfect teeth, "which will happen under my watch. That's why I'm the best."

The blonde boy could feel the lack of modesty radiate from the seemingly collected man. "Awesome, let's make this tour great then," Austin reached out a hand in good gesture.

Devon almost sneered at it, "Oh honey, I don't shake hands."

* * *

><p>Ally finally finished unpacking the last of her things, placing the pajama bottoms in the drawer beside her bed. She closed it with an exasperated sigh, the yearning of investigation running through her blood. She wanted to see all of what this bus had to offer.<p>

She casually made her way to the mini-fridge near the front of the bus, opening the door to find Pepsi and water, with a few yogurt snacks and Lunchables. Wow, did they really know her that well?

She closed the door and returned to her bed, the feeling of curiosity satisfied enough for her to lay her head against her pillow and close her eyes. Before she could even comfortably lay herself between the sheets, her thoughts wondered to where they always seemed to go…

No, this wasn't going to happen tonight. This wasn't how she was going to spend her tour. This wasn't what she would fall asleep to every night. She would have to face this. She would have to see the worst in him, to un-attract herself from the idea that they could possibly have a relationship. He already asked to be her friend, and she knew she wanted that connection at least. It was strange, to feel like she completely agreed with him, but that maybe, they both had the same secret wish as well. She knew she did, and sometimes, she really hated herself for it. But does he hate himself, too? Does he even feel the same at all? Maybe…

Luckily, she hadn't had a confrontation with him yet. After Devon so "graciously" introduced himself, he had taken Austin to the other tour bus, to describe his bathroom habits and the time he expected to have alone since they had to share the living space. Since then, Ally had been unpacking and waiting, the buses leaving that night for their first concert in two days.

Now, Ally had nothing but the company of her thoughts, with no more things to put away and no desire to discover all the other amenities the bust might have. She just wanted everything figured out. She just wanted Austin figured out, but the ironic thing was, it was all figured out.

Maybe she could accept it. Maybe she could be his friend.


	10. Chicago

**Hey everyone! I am too excited about the next few chapters I have planned. This is the starting of it, and I'm excited as to how they will lead to how I am going to tie everything up nicely. Anyways, please like/review if you enjoyed this, or the story in general. You guys are amazing and thank you for continuously reading this little work of mine. :)**

* * *

><p>Chicago.<p>

The way the wind tousled her hair felt like lying in water, the feeling of being embraced by a force of nature, one that could barely be controlled. The breeze sent a chill through her spine, and she remembered distantly that autumn was on the horizon.

It was strange, being here on tour when she should be in the hallways of her high school. Both Austin and Ally were scheduled to begin their senior years, but now, they had to take a semester "abroad", so to speak, and have a teacher travel along with them and give joint cram sessions. It had only happened once so far, and already, she could feel the tension between her and Austin linger like the smell of an angered skunk, and it probably didn't help that Austin despised school. Nothing put him in a greater mood than barely passing classes…

But it had only been three days, and Ally was excited to see what was in store for her.

She was curious as to why their first concert was still in the United States. Jimmy rambled on about "warm-up" cities and how they had to get their feet on the ground with shows at familiar venues, or at least, familiar to Austin. The whole first month would be shows around the U.S., going back to cities with overflows, where sold-out crowds danced to Austin's catchy tunes while others waited outside disappointedly to see if any seats had become available. Their last show would be in their home city of Miami, and then they would fly off to England for their first overseas show.

Ally didn't mind, though. She wanted a chance to build a stronger fan base in her home country. And she wasn't in a hurry to fly, either. She had only flown twice beforehand, and both times had ended in her vomiting in airport restrooms. She shuddered disgustingly at the memory.

But now they were at the corner of North State Street and West Washington, taking in the view of the local TJ Maxx. In reality, they had chosen that area as a rest stop so Devon could go find some "hipster" shoes. She really didn't understand him.

As her thoughts began to wonder on why she has such a limited knowledge of fashion, her phone began to ring, and for a second, her heart raced at the idea that it could have been Dallas, waiting to hear about the extraordinary experience she wasn't quite having yet. Thankfully, it was Trish.

"Hello?" Ally said casually to her phone, watching the cars pass by from the parking lot.

"Ally!" Trish practically screamed. "How is the tour so far?"

"I haven't even performed yet…"

"You know what I mean," Trish responded with the usual sass Ally appreciated so much. "Have you had any awkward run ins...?"

"Trish, I'm going on tour with him, of course we will have run-ins," Ally rolled her eyes, more for the gesture than any deeper meaning. "Awkward run-ins? Maybe, but it's actually been okay so far."

"Wow, that's a little surprising, not going to lie," Trish giggled uncomfortably, or it at least sounded like that to Ally. "After you talked about how you don't want to actually be his friend—"

"I do…" Ally whispered back, as if she spoke the words to initiate a war she knew would end in disaster.

"WHAT? Changed your mind again, I see? At least I don't have to lie to Dez anymore."

"Still, don't tell him anything about how I feel. He will for sure tell Austin," she shook her head. "By the way, are you two still pretty close?"

"Yea we keep in touch," Trish spoke quickly. "By the way, I'm sorry I couldn't come with you on your first tour, Ally. I really wanted to be there…"

"It's fine, Trish," Ally genuinely smiled at the thought of Trish being responsible. "I know how important school is to you, and how you can't focus if it's one-on-one, or one-on-three, as it would have been for us." Ally chuckled at that thought.

"I'm glad you understand, and Dez feels the same way to Austin." She paused, bringing silence followed by loud movements of air and a tap to the phone. "Oh my God—"

"Trish?" Ally was fully alert, eyes widened to a scene already playing out in her head. "Trish, are you okay?"

"Oh, yea I'm fine," Ally could imagine Trish waving a hand carelessly to her. "I just saw Dallas and I'm trying to avoid him because every time he sees me, he always asks about you…" Ally heard a _clang _followed by a line of Spanish profanities and sighs of frustration. "Do you not talk to him?"

It was like an instant drop from her chest to her stomach. _Dallas…_ Of course she had talked to him, through short-worded text messages and ten minute phone calls, leaving reasons to be, "Oh, I have to go to our 'mock class' now," and "Gotta go unpack that last bag of mine," and can't forget the, "Devon is helping me pick out my tour outfits, I have to run." She had basically given him the cold shoulder without realizing the impact it would actually have. He actually _misses _her…

Ally took in a shallow breath, eyes darting worriedly from side to side. "Trish, I'm sorry, but I have to go." And with a quick goodbye from the other side, she slid her phone back into a pocket of her jeans.

* * *

><p>Devon slid a black pair of Clark's into the red shopping cart, eyes wondering hungrily on the racks and racks of shoes. Austin sluggishly pushed the buggy. "Why did I come with you?" he mused annoyingly.<p>

"Darling, you had nothing better to do, that's why," the tour manager scoffed eloquently, as if he spent his whole life humbly telling everyone the bitter truth. It was like he was programed to speak politely, but in the most contentious way possible. In a way, Austin respected that.

As if sensing an awkward silence, Devon turned an inquiring eye to Austin. "So what's between you and the Ally girl?"

Austin practically ran into the shoe shelf as they turned back into the main aisle. "I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Oh, there is obviously something between you two," Devon inspected another leather shoe, but obviously had no interest in it and practically threw it back on the shelf. "Did you two date?"

Austin sighed. "Is it that obvious?"

Devon snickered. "It's not?"

"We never really dated," Austin began somberly, "we were really close, and then we got in a fight, and now we are tolerating each other."

"'Tolerating' sounds like such a strong word. You two don't hate being around each other."

The blonde boy had been looking at a cool pair of sneakers, but quickly turned his attention back to his tour manager. "You've only known us for three days—"

"A war can start in three days," Devon stared at his fingernails, a habit Austin noticed he does quite frequently. "People can fall in love, create a child, a tornado can come through and destroy a city, forest fires can blaze, so on and so forth," he sighed, "So, I think I can know you both in three days." He promptly walked towards the counter now, Austin attempting to keep pace. "Plus, it's not hard to read two adolescents, who are just dying to rip each other apart—"

Now it was Austin's turn to interrupt. "So…what do I do?"

Devon looked slightly shocked. "You want advice?"

"I care about Ally," he fiddled with one of the stylish shoes sitting in the cart, now that they were waiting in the long line. He thought distantly about how no one had rushed up to him for an autograph or a photo opp. Maybe it was due to the fact he was wearing sunglasses and a Polo hat. "I told her that I wanted to be friends with her again, because we used to be really close. She's been avoiding me, though, and I just…don't know how to fix it."

His bright hazel eyes locked into Devon's, and for a second, he could see a glimpse of respect, as if Devon understood what Austin was going through completely. "Here's my advice, kid," he spoke after a moment of contemplation. "The best thing that could have happened to you is this tour. Just give it time…you'll see."

* * *

><p>It felt like her arms were earthquakes, about to bring chaos to everyone around her. Even in her sparkly, floor length dress, she still felt the vulnerability of an exposure, one with the power to ruin her entire image.<p>

She waited for the cue she knew would come from the stage manager, aware that at any minute now, she would be forced to face her stagnant, dormant fear of people in large crowds, there to see her in all her self, in all her flaws and all her mistakes.

Thinking something had gone wrong when she felt the touch of a hand on her shoulder, she turned around, eyes wild on the anticipation of bad news.

But it was Austin.

"Hey," he said feebly, Ally surprisingly thought. "Uhhh…your first real show, huh? How does it feel?"

Avoiding eye contact, she strained a smile and looked at anything but those hazel orbs of his. "Yea, I'm a little nervous."

"Don't be. You've rehearsed this a million times, and then a million times more in your head," he laughed and their eyes finally met, Ally reading them as easily as clockwork. '_I know you, so very well.'_

Ally swallowed nervously, feeling the sweat on her palms as she tensed. "You're right, I have…" She didn't know what else to say.

Austin sensed the conversation dying, she imagined, and he smiled that genuine, empathetic smile she recognized whenever she was about to perform. "Really, Ally. You'll do great, and if you don't, I'll fall during one of my routines so you couldn't possibly feel like the joke of the show."

The radiance of his glow made her face turn red. "You have never fallen at a show before—" The sound of a cue in her earpiece shot through her thoughts.

"For you, I would," was the last thing she heard before she gave way to a half-focused smile and ran off towards the stage.

* * *

><p>The screams of the crowd overwhelmed Ally as she finished her last song, taking in the view before her. Thousands of fans, screaming out her name, lights flashing from phones and signs darting up and down as people jumped from the adrenaline of concert stereos, of the groupthink that comes with performances like these.<p>

She beamed, but knew what was next. As the roar of the crowd grew to decibels she swore wasn't safe, Austin ran out from a splitting wall at the back of the stage. He waved to his fans with that sparkle in his eyes, radiant like she always knew they were when he performed. "Hello Chicago!" He yelled, and the crowd responded with enthusiastic cheers and high-pitched screams. "Now guys, wasn't she amazing?" He glanced over at her, and her view of him softened, as if all the anger she had ever felt towards him evaporated and was lost to time, lost to a life she never wanted to lead again. This was where she was. This was now, and right then, she ran up to him and threw her arm around his lower back.

As if it were a carefully choreographed piece, he placed an arm around her shoulders in return and laid his forehead gently on the side of her head, where she could feel the quickness of his breath against her hair. "Ally Dawson, there's no way I could make it without you…"

And with that, he released her and began clapping a beat, encouraging the crowd to follow along while an intricate drum solo played in the background. Ally, of course, joined in with the largest smile on her face, as the drum solo turned into drums and guitars and synth. Once again, he was near her, grabbing her hand and pulling her to center stage, looking at her with a look of admiration and a passion that was too intense for her to think too much into right at that moment.

"_When the crowd wants more, I bring on the thunder,_

_'cause you've got my back and I'm not going under._

_You're my point, you're my guard; you're the perfect chord…"_

Ally finally remembered her part. "_And I see our names together on every billboard…"_

* * *

><p>"Thank you Chicago!"<p>

Austin invited all the musicians, managers, friends, supporters; anyone who had made the tour possible for him, he asked to come out and take a bow. Included in that list was her, who sauntered out in a glittery romper that had been under the long skirt she had taken off when they had their final dance number during _Without You. _Their hands connected, but Austin was sure not to pull any moves. He was lucky enough that she willingly hugged him earlier, and he was surprised she didn't flinch when he had laid his head against hers.

After they returned backstage, Austin was stopped by Devon, who had been at the back of the large conglomerate of a storage room/dressing room/makeshift kitchen, where all the dancers, Ally, and himself had changed, picked up instruments, and ate a couple power snacks.

"Where's Ally?" Devon first asked in a hushed tone, as if he were about to spill the secrets of the universe, despite all the terrible consequences.

"Umm…she went to take a phone call?" Austin returned in a confused manner.

"Oh okay," his shoulders lowered and all the tension seemed to drain away from him. "I just wanted to ask you how your first performance was, and that I saw you and Ally and it was just—"

"Amazing?" his smile peaked out the corners of his mouth. "Yea, I know."

Smugly, Devon patted him on the shoulder as he tore himself from the wall he was leaning against. "I told you." And with that, he meandered off to what looked like their dance instructor, who had the largest smile on his face, probably because no one messed up the routine, amazingly.

* * *

><p>"I know, I'll call you later, I promise." Ally's voice was full of stress, even though she humbly knew she had given an amazing performance earlier.<p>

"By one a.m.?" A pleading, masculine voice echoed on the other side of the line. "I'm sorry, Ally, I just feel like we haven't spoken much and I just really miss—"

"I know," Ally quietly responded, "I miss you too."

She could see his smile as if he were in front of her, holding her and whispering all the things he liked about her, from her hair to her voice to her lack of a fashion sense. But yet, she felt oddly guilty. "I'll talk to you then?" Dallas said.

"Until then," she spoke as she clicked the red button on her phone screen.

"_'For as long as space endures and for as long as living beings remain, until then may I too abide to dispel the misery in the world._'" She heard a voice speak, turning to see a head of blonde and deep, deep brown irises. "Emphasis on '_until then_'."

She couldn't help but crack a smile in return. "I wasn't aware you knew such profound and insightful quotes."

"Well, when I heard 'until then', I just had to jump on the opportunity to successfully use one of the only quotes I know," he smiled, "other than my own words, of course."

She rolled her eyes. "Some things never change."

He stared at her in response, a smirk of sorts played across his features. "Now, Ms. Dawson, you may not know, but we have about five minutes before screaming, but awesome, fans try to sneak back here in this blocked off section of parking lot and try to meet us," he spoke with a sense of pride as if he had been doing this for all his life. "Do you wanna get out of here?"

She was a little shocked at how direct Austin was being, but she figured after he performed, there wasn't anything that really scared him, including speaking to her. She still felt hesitancy in her chest, a voice in the back of her head that screamed at her to stay where she was, to meet the fans and to do what she was supposed to. But she was also curious. She also had a bunch of adrenaline still pumping through her veins, and despite the pull she felt against him, she smiled and nodded in return.

"Yea, I do."

* * *

><p>Austin and Ally made their way up to the press box of the United Stadium, where Austin explained, on the way there, that he had befriended a security guard who let him see it the last time he had a concert here and that if he ever wanted to see it again, he was welcome to.<p>

Austin knocked on the door of the office, and Ally saw the large man, who was buff and visibly intimidating. Still, the kindness she saw in his eyes the moment Austin spoke a greeting made Ally smile. She adored people who looked so scary, but who were actually kind and gentle. She could tell this man was, and it was another reason to her why one should never judge a book by its cover.

"Hey man," Austin extended a hand and the guard returned with a firm shake.

"Austin Moon! Your performance was great, let me just say that," he laughed a deep, joyful laugh. "Props to you, kid. I could never find myself running around like that."

Austin returned just as large of a smile, and for a minute, Ally lost herself in the pure bliss she was feeling, from performing in front of 20,000 people, to where she was now, to where she wanted to be, and she had to admit it to herself that where she wanted to be was with Austin.

But there was Dallas, and she liked him, too. The conflict struggled in her mind, but she was too happy at the moment to give it any more thought.

Apparently, she had missed the whole conversation between the guard and Austin, for they were already at the door and Austin had given another handshake in reply, and left the security guard with a, "thanks Marty, I hope your kids had a fun time at the show tonight. Make sure to give them the autographs my manager gave to you earlier. When we have the meet and greet at the next show here, they are the first in line."

Now, they were in a room filled with chairs and computer screens, but what was truly amazing was the view. Rows and rows of chairs by the thousands could be seen, all being cleaned by stadium crews. Along with that, the stage was being broken down so the basketball court could be used for the next game. She felt so small in comparison to what had just taken place there, and she had been a part of it.

"Surreal, I know," he interrupted her reverie with a smile. "I remember the first time I looked down and saw how huge the stadium was, and how they had all been here to listen to me…" He stared off distantly. "Me…one person, who just loves music so much that I want to share it with the world, and they had all wanted to share that with me, too, by being here to see it, to see one of the many shows they will probably see in their lives." His eyes met Ally's now, and they had such a serious connotation to them Ally had never really seen before. "When you perform, Ally," he spoke carefully. "You have to give it your all, every single time, because that is an experience between you and every single person out there. They will remember that for the rest of their lives, and so will you; that's the beauty of it. Creating an art that lives within people, and you're the one having that effect on them, and they have the same on you…" His serious look turned into vividness, one with the intensity of Picasso or da Vinci. "You did that tonight, Ally. You gave them that memory they will remember for as along as they live. The art you create, the words you have written…this is where it all comes full circle."

She felt breathless. Beautiful words of someone so filled with passion. This was it. That was him, the guy who had worked so hard to make that first video of his, the one filled with determination, the one that went viral and was inspired by the words she was able to place together, fortified in a way that brought people together, that had brought them together.

She couldn't think straight. All she wanted was him; she knew it as if it were the chords on a piano, as if they were the letters of the alphabet. But she wasn't thinking straight, and she had known about the things he had done on that bus, or the things he has said at that party, and she couldn't differentiate between the truth of her heart and the reality of the situation at hand. They were alone together in a dark room…was he…?

She snapped back to focus and threw accusatory eyes at him. "Why are we here?" she inquired quietly.

He looked slightly taken aback, but maybe he realized the impression he was giving, because his eyes widened. "Oh no…Ally I just," he sighed. "So…I was thinking, you know, when we were really close, all the songs we would write together, and how we would stay up all night just to finish one." The smile returned. "I just thought…why don't we do that? Write a song?" He moved a little closer to her, to where all that was between them were mere inches. "Not all at once though, but you and I are an amazing team, and we haven't done that in a while and I figured…why not do what we are best at doing…together?"

Ally followed his logic, seeing the good ideas and how this could end badly, but how it could flourish into another piece of work, one that could be another memory for them and thousands of others. Maybe this was their way of finding some normalcy between them.

She smiled, and looked directly at him in a way she felt like she hadn't in a long time. "Let's write a song."


End file.
